Nightshadow
by VidielSilverbane
Summary: First in "The Knight Chronicles"   An old friend of our favorite bird becomes part of the team, bringing her baggage with her. As her past unravels, will the team handle it? Slightly OOC. RobinxOC, Spitfire, and SuperMartian. Rated T: LV.   Complete! Sequel is "Breaking Light".
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note(s):**_

_**Hey, so you can call me Vidiel. Or Vid. Whichever works. I'm a little new to posting on fanfiction, but I've been an avid reader on the site for a couple years…I also beta lots of my friend's work, and I write a **__**lot**__**of fan fiction. Just…not on this site. **_

_**So, please bear with me. If there's any advice you have, go ahead and shoot me a message or a review.**_

_**Also, it may just be the way I write, but I find that my work is a tad bit OC...Just giving a fair warning, I know it makes some people really angry when they think a story won't be OC and then it's like "Oh-my-god-that-character-would-NEVER-do-that!" **_

_**Anyway, thanks for showing interest, and I hope you enjoy my first "official" fan fiction post.**_

_**PS- I also own nothing. Except, of course, my OC character…and her father, because I decided it would be best to make up my own super hero instead of messing with someone else's creation...and I also own her back-story. So I apologize for messing with Robin's a smidge (specifically his early training with our favorite Bat)…but I felt it would fit nicely.**_

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><p><span>Nightshadow: Chapter 1:<span>  
>~Robin's POV~<p>

"Team." The Dark Knight said as he entered Mount Justice, his obsidian cape swelling out behind him. I looked up from the computer I was tapping away on, updating the security system…after I hacked it, of course. I watched silently from the corner as the rest of the team ambled into the room. Batman hadn't given us any warning that he was coming. Kaldur and Conner had been training, so they were already there. Next to show was KF, followed shortly by a flustered-looking Artemis. I made a mental note to look into that later, because Wally probably had an embarrassing "Kid Mouth" moment again. Last to float in – literally- was M'gann. I felt my mouth twist into a slight frown. She was still blaming herself for what happened in the exercise three days ago. We had all tried to console her, but she was still down.

"I would like to introduce Nightshadow. She has recently displayed interest in joining your team, and the League agrees that it is a good idea." Batman said in his borderline gravelly voice, stoic as ever. I felt my stomach begin to do back flips. _Nightshadow._ If it was who I thought she was, today was going to become one of the greatest reunions in history. I cocked my head to the side slightly, asking Batman a silent question. He caught my gaze and gave me a discreet nod.

I have to say, it took all I could not to jump for joy.

"Where…where is this 'Nightshadow'?" Wally asked, his neck craning to see around Batman. Suddenly, with a soft popping noise and a wisp of black smoke, a girl was standing by Batman's side.

As everyone gaped at the new arrival, I took in my old friend. She looked like the same 10-year-old I remember, only a little taller and older. Her chocolate-colored hair was cut in layers that fell just past her shoulders, and sparkling eyes glittered mischievously from underneath her simple eye mask. Today they looked so brown they were almost black, which made me smile. I used to try and guess what color her eyes were when we first met-they changed almost every day. I noticed with a minute nod of approval that her suit was black and a rich, deep purple color – a purple corset with black pants, boots, and long gloves. A new addition from the last time I had seen her nearly three years previously was the short black-and-purple cape slung over her shoulders.

"Uh…hi. You can call me Renee. That's my real name." She smiled sheepishly and I watched as color crawled up her neck and into her cheeks.

Kaldur, being the leader he is, was the first to recover. "My name is Aqualad, but you can call me Kaldur or Kaldur'ahm. This is Superboy A.K.A. Conner Kent, Artemis, Miss Martian A.K.A. M'gann, Kid Flash, or Wally West, and-" Kaldur pointed at each of us as he said our names. As he gestured toward me, I stepped out of the shadows.

"Robin!" Renee crowed in joy, cutting Kaldur off mid-sentence and running towards me. I opened my arms, even though I wasn't a big fan of contact. But hey, this was supposed to be the reunion of the century, right?

"Renee!" I broke into a smile and hugged her tight, surprised at the amount of emotion I was currently displaying. The team, thankfully, gave us a moment before Kid Mouth began to talk.

"You two know each other?" He questioned, shock and disbelief etched obviously across his face. I honestly couldn't blame him. He was my best friend, yet I had never told him about Nightshadow…or Renee.

"Yeah. Back when I was first becoming Robin. Batman and Renee's mentor were good friends, and we would train together." I responded as I broke my hold on Renee. I still kept my arm around the smaller girl's shoulders, however, which was puzzling. I didn't mean to do that. She didn't seem to mind, though, so I didn't move it.

"Interesting…" Artemis said in dry tones, obviously a little apprehensive of the teleporting newcomer.

"Rob and I go back a ways, but I haven't seen him in a while. Which is totally my fault, unforch." She split the last word of her sentence in half, which made me fight to keep from smiling.

_She used to do it all the time._ I remembered silently, _but her mentor hated it._

"Well, I am glad you two have been reunited. I have a feeling you'll be an excellent addition to the team." Kaldur said with a smile. I searched his face for any clue of dishonesty, and found none. Totally aster.

"Thanks, Kaldur. I-" Renee was cut off by Conner, who was staring at her menacingly.

"What the _hell_ was _that?_" He demanded. I sighed inwardly. Leave it to Superboy to turn the aster into anger. Renee blushed, and I felt it hot on my arm.

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry. I um…I guess that was a little overwhelming. But Batman didn't have a number thingy for me yet and…yeah. I can teleport. I have my limits, but that's boring. Save that for another time." She finished her sentence with a nervous chuckle, her eyes darting from one person to another, occasionally resting on me.

"Hello, Megan! Should've known that!" M'gann piped up suddenly, doing the whole heel-of-hand-to-forehead thing she does. My over-active observation skills pointed out that she was now standing (or floating) straighter, and she had a natural smile on her face, one that _did _reach her eyes.

The Martian's comment sparked a pleasant hum of conversation, giving enough distraction for Batman to melt into the shadows. M'gann suggested we all moved to the living room to sit down and talk so we could learn about Renee and vice-versa. As I steered her toward our destination, following a now completely normal M'gann, I couldn't help but think Renee's arrival and her joining of Young Justice was good for the Martian. Maybe it was good for the rest of the team, too. We all needed a new face, someone that we could trust.

_It's especially good for me. _I thought as my heart uncharacteristically skipped a beat.

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><p><em><strong>Aww, look at that! He really does have a heart! Ha-ha. Sorry, I just had to make the comment. So, you know, rate, review, subscribe, whatever it is you're supposed to do on here… <strong>_

_**So, uh, I forgot to mention up in the beginning that I'm not one of those people who won't write without reviews…I'll finish this no matter what…unless something happens that makes me incapable. **_

_**Also, on that note, I apologize if "Nightshadow" is already a name of some obscure comic character…I did the best check I could that I wasn't plagiarizing. So, yeah. Until next time!**_

_**Word Counts:  
>This Chapter: 1,040<br>Total: 1,040**_

_**~Vid**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: **_

_**Thank you to all who reviewed! I appreciate your feedback immensely. Here's chapter 2.  
>Once again, I own nothing except for Renee. Yay! (That rhymed…awesome.)<strong>_

_**Oh, and just for future reference, it won't all be in Robin's POV. His just seems right for the moment. But trust me; we shall hear other character's thoughts.**_

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><p><span>Nightshadow: Chapter 2:<span>  
>~Robin's POV~<p>

We had spent hours sitting around Mount Justice's living room. One by one, all the others left, until it was just Renee and I. I felt a lump rise in my throat. Indecision taunted me. I mean, how was she going to react? I let the comfortable silence go on for a while, focusing on the turmoil in my thoughts.

"Renee?" I finally inquired, forcing my uncertainties to retreat to the back of my mind.

"Yeah, Rob?" She replied, smiling at me.

"It's been three years…" I began, unsure how I was going to phrase it. 'Where the hell have you been?' 'What happened?' 'Are you okay?' and many others bounced around my brain. Before I could continue, however, Renee began to talk.

"I'm sorry, Robin. Really sorry. I just…I needed to get away for a while, after the- the _accident_. I needed to get away from the Justice League, away from Gotham. Unfortunately, that also meant getting away from you. I didn't want to stop contact altogether, I just got a little distracted every time I tried to find you." Her voice started to crack towards the end of her apology, but I knew she wasn't going to cry. This made me relax inwardly. I wasn't all that good with tears.

"It-it's alright, Renee. I can understand you wanting to get away. I just…I want to know what took you three years to come back to the League, to be honest." I didn't know where all this honesty was coming from. I was the king of lying. Well, maybe the prince. Batman was a better liar. But despite the honesty and openness and potential awkwardness of the conversation, I found myself pulling down barriers. Even though Robin hadn't experienced what Renee had, Dick Grayson (someone she had never met), certainly did. It was strange. I _wanted _to know what she knew, to feel what she felt.

"You really don't, Rob." She whispered, almost inaudible. Her body language was telling me she was trying to shut me out – she had her head down and her torso was turned away from me.

_No, you can't let her do that, Dick. You really __do__._

"I really do." She lifted her gaze-previously trained on her tiny hands-to meet mine. I locked my stare on those ever-changing eyes, willing for her to understand that I _needed_ her to tell me. I hadn't gone a day those three years without wondering where she was or trying to find her. I needed to know.

"Fine…but don't tell the rest of the Team, okay? I don't want them to know-not yet. It wasn't my best decision." I breathed an inward sigh of relief at her response. She turned to face me, but dropped her eyes back down. I had the sudden urge to lift her chin, to wrap my arm around her, to do _something_ to tell her it's alright. _What the hell is wrong with you today, Dick? What is this, this…whatever it is?_ Realizing she was waiting for a response, I pushed the questioning thoughts aside. I could always analyze them later, after all.

"I won't tell a soul. I promise." I reassured her, silently hoping Batman already knew. If it was as bad as she thought it was, I wouldn't be able to keep it a secret from my adoptive father.

"I went rogue."

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><p><em><strong>Short chapter, I know. I'm sorry. But it needed to break here. I didn't want to split a chapter into two different POVs (*wink wink nudge nudge*). I promise that chapter three will be up today…maybe a little later (Ick. Homework.) But it WILL be up today.<strong>_

_**So, like, review or whatever…or hey, wait until chapter three instead…or don't review at all…whatever floats your boat. **_

_**Word Counts:  
>This Chapter: 565<br>Total: 1,605**_

_**Happy Writings, **_  
><em><strong>Vid.<strong>_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N:**_

_** So here's chapter three, you lovely readers you. You are fantastic, did you know that? I've been reduced to a giddy little schoolgirl because of your loveliness. To warn you, there's some language in it. But it's nothing worse than what you'd hear in the halls of a typical high school, so I think we're good. But enough of my rambling, let's add a little disclaimer and get on with it! **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except Renee. And Clockwork…hopefully. It's surprisingly difficult to find a name that hasn't been used in the comic world…even if the character behind it is something completely different. *shrugs* Oh well. On with the show.**_

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><p><span>Nightshadow: Chapter 3:<span>  
>~Kid Flash's POV~<p>

"_I went rogue."_

I stopped mid-stride, balanced precariously on one foot. I had been walking to the kitchen to get a midnight burrito-snack, but this was just…interesting. So I put my foot down, slid into the shadows of the hall's corner, and listened.

"You did _what_?" I heard Robin ask. _Wait, Robin? I thought he went to bed. Could've sworn he left just after I did._ I cautiously peeped my head around the corner. Robin was sprawled on the couch, his masked eyes wide. For a moment I thought he was looking at me until I realized that he was talking to Renee.

_Renee?! She went _rogue_? Well, that's something she failed to mention. _I thought angrily as I tuned back into their conversation.

"-found out Clockwork survived and went after him-" Renee was saying. _Clockwork? Who's Clockwork?_ I thought, mentally going through my list of villains. _Nope. No Clockwork. Hmm. Well, I suppose there may be villains that have never seen the likes of Kid Flash._ I reasoned with myself, trying to rationalize why I had never heard of this Clockwork fellow. _No. _Every_ villain has to have heard of me. Maybe he's one of the good guys?_

"-makes sense, because of your father, but you could've still called me, Renee. Revenge isn't an excuse not to ask for help. I'm sure Batman would've let me. He-" Robin was talking now. _Her father? What does Renee's father have to do with this? Revenge…oh. Come on, Wally. Two plus two really _does _equal four. So Clockwork's definitely a bad guy, and he did something to her father. _

"-but really, Renee. I-I just wish you would've called or-or something. Going after Clockwork, alone, that's just plain dangerous-" Robin continued to speak, concern laced through his words.

_Wait, _concern_? Robin was…concerned? _I blinked. That was so…un-Robin-like. The Boy Wonder had been concerned for his friend? Then I realized how absurd I was being. _They're _friends_, Wally. _I mentally chided myself; _Of course he'd be concerned._

I pushed my thoughts aside, eager to hear what Renee's response was, but her voice had dropped to a whisper. So I leaned forward ever so slightly, straining to hear.

Turns out I didn't have to.

"Dammit, Renee! Why the _hell_ did you do -"Robin roared, but then his voice dropped low. "-oh. _Oh_. That's why you didn't – does Batman know?" I involuntarily shuddered, uneasiness growing in the pit of my stomach. Not because of Robin's reaction, but due to the sheer amount of _emotion_ Robin was displaying. And it seemed as if he didn't realize it, either. _Is he…? No, he can't. He's _Robin_, I _know_ he wouldn't let himself have feelings like _that_. Or would he?_ I suppressed another shudder. Robin was the protégé of _Batman_; he was trained in the art of being an unfeeling liar. I couldn't help but wonder: why the _hell _was he suddenly being Mr. Feelly-EmotionPants?

"Yeah." She responded, the single word tangibly weighed down with guilt. I peered around the corner for a quick glance at the two. The bird had his arm around the shadow's shoulders.

I was confused.

This girl had a past that not even Robin - her supposed "old friend", the one with his arm wrapped around her in a gesture of consolation - knew about. Hell, even the Dark Knight might not have known until Nightshadow came to ask him about joining Young Justice. So I decided I was going to do something I had never done before:

I was going to confront Robin.

Before I could talk myself down, I realized I had good reason to. I - I mean, the team - deserved to know what he now knew about Renee and her past. If she didn't want it out there, then it _had_ to be said, right? Right.

_First thing in the morning, then. _I decided._ I might even wake up early for the occasion…nah._ I turned around and went to go back to my room in the depths of Mount Justice. At that moment, I heard the tell-tale 'goodnight' uttered from Renee's lips, making me freeze.

_Oh shit, Wally. You've done it now._ I silently scolded myself for my stupidity. I began to think fast for a solution. Renee – and probably Robin – was heading my way. If they caught me snooping –

"Mmmm! Man, I'm hun- oh. Hey guys, you two still up?" I asked innocently as I made a rather noisy entrance. Too late, I realized I could've just run to my room and no one would've known. Shit.

"Hey, KF. Yeah, we were. Just about to hit the sack, though. I'm guessing you're getting a snack?" Robin responded, nonchalant.

_So he's back to his normal self…or he's a damn good actor._

"Yeah, you know. Woke up wanting a burrito…or maybe a taco…nawh, I think burrito will do nicely." I rambled in an attempt to calm myself down. I felt as if the Boy Wonder was boring holes into my soul with those frustratingly masked eyes of his.

"Uh, well…Goodnight then, Wally. 'Night Rob." Renee muttered quietly before slipping past me and down the dark hallway. I followed her with my eyes until she disappeared behind a door. Assuming the Bird in front of me had instructed her there, I turned my attention back toward him. He, surprisingly enough, had shifted the piercing gaze into an expectant stare. I braced myself.

"We need to talk." I stated bluntly, with all the authority I could muster. It looked promising until Robin's mouth became set in a thin line and he crossed his arms in front of his chest. I deflated.

"Yeah, yeah I think we do."

_Oh crap._

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><p><em><strong>Yeah, so that's chapter three! Exciting, huh? Bet you didn't expect that! Actually, you probably did. Ha. Next chapter we're going back into Robin's POV…but I really, REALLY promise that I won't get stuck in his POV. It was going to be either his or KF's again, and I thought it would be more interesting from his. So, yup. That's that. Review or "follow" or whatever you like. (I feel like I'm obligated to say that…heehee.)<strong>_

_**Word Count:  
>This Chapter: 953<br>Total: 2,558**_

_**Happy Writings,  
>Vid.<strong>_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N:**_

_**So, I wasn't going to update today because I've been running all afternoon, but I couldn't leave you guys hanging. **_

_**Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, own nothing but Renee, Clockwork, her dad, and her mentor, who remains nameless for a laziness and lack of creativity on my part. Oops. I might make him something like "Stapler man" just to give him a name that HASN'T been used in the comic-book world. Lol.**_

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><p><span>Nightshadow: Chapter 4:<span>  
>~Robin's POV~<p>

"Sit." I said with immense force, fixing Wally with my best Bat-glare. I mentally raced through my conversation with Renee, trying to figure out what Wally could have heard.

_Why didn't I notice he was there _earlier_? _I scolded myself. It wasn't like me not to notice an eavesdropper, especially one as obvious as Kid Mouth.

Wally sat, wide-eyed and uncomfortable, on one of the kitchen stools. I stood across from him, still giving the Bat-glare.

"You are going to tell me _exactly_ what you heard, every _single_ word. Or else I will _not _hesitate to get Artemis in here to kick your _ass_ from now to next _Tuesday._" I said callously, compelling myself to put as much of my raging anger as possible into my words. I felt a twinge of guilt, being this harsh to my best friend. But it was necessary. He wouldn't take me seriously if I didn't pull out the big guns, so to speak.

The speedster's eyes went wider, if that was even possible, and if he had been running, he would have tripped over the flow of words pouring out of his mouth.

"It was just bits and pieces…something about her dad dying, going after Clockwork whoever that is. I mean, what kind of dumb name is _that?_ And something about Batman knowing or not knowing something. And look, Robin, I didn't mean it but I couldn't help but listen in and I won't tell a soul but it sounds like Renee or Nightshadow or whatever did something bad and I think the team deserves to know." Kid took a deep breath at the end of his rushed speech. He had been talking so fast he had begun vibrating in place, and I was afraid he would fall off the stool. I sighed, dropping the Bat-glare down a level, settling at very-peeved-Robin-glare instead, and sat down on the stool across from him.

"Whoa, KF. Slow down a little. First of all, you're jumping to conclusions. Totally not aster. Second, you bet your ass you're not going to tell anyone, because I convinced Renee to tell the team tomorrow. I guess you must have conveniently missed that part. And lastly, I'm going to give you a short version just to shut you up so you don't let anything slip. But you _are_ going to act like you're hearing this for the first time tomorrow. Renee would kill me if she knew that someone had been listening in and I hadn't picked up on it. Okay?" I finished my quite lengthy response by absent-mindedly rubbing the back of my neck. I stopped at the spot that was still warm from that afternoon when Nightshadow had thrown her arms around me.

_How is it still warm?_ I mused as Wally nodded enthusiastically. I scoffed inwardly at his obvious body language: he was no longer stealing shameful glances, but was instead facing me at full attention; his emerald eyes alert and alight with curiosity. This was strange, considering I was still giving him an "angry Robin" stare.

_He must really desperately want to hear what he missed of our conversation._

"Well, here's the short version, then. A criminal in Gotham named Clockwork had been giving me and Batman trouble, so, naturally, we called in Renee and her mentor. Now before you ask, yes, Renee is from Gotham. So was her mentor, but he preferred to just stay at Justice League HQ and go to whatever city needed him most." I paused for a moment, and Wally gestured hurriedly for me to go on.

"Long story short, somehow Renee's father was taken down by Clockwork even though all four of us heroes tried to save him. But he took Clockwork down, too, in a way. Against my consolation, Renee blamed herself for her father's untimely death and left Gotham. She found out Clockwork was still alive, spent the better part of three years chasing him all over the world, and wound up blowing up a building with him inside. She – and Batman, too – believe Clockwork's actually dead this time. So she came back here, told Bats everything, and he offered her a place on the team." I explained as quickly as I could, hoping that Wally wouldn't ask for too many details. Knowing Renee, she would want to explain everything herself.

_As much as she hates what she did, she can't resist the prospect of telling a story to an audience. _I smiled to myself at the subtle quirk in Renee's character that I had discovered long ago.

Wally, unfortunately, must have seen me smile as well.

"You like her, don't you." It wasn't a question, and Wally caught me off guard. He had a sly smile painted on his face, which didn't help any.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I denied, regaining my composure.

"Yes you do. You _like _her. You _like _Renee." Wally teased me gleefully, all the curiosity about Renee's past whisked away and replaced with a knowing glint in his eye and a shit-eating grin on his face.

I couldn't stand that shit-eating grin of his. So, I decided to wipe it off his face.

"Yeah, well, you're in love with Artemis."

"Dude! Don't say that too loud!" Wally responded, his eyes growing wide and expression frantic. He surprised me for the second time that night. Wally West, _admitting_ that he liked Artemis?

_That was unexpected._

"Wait, you're actually _admitting_ you like her? Jeez, KF. That's like…huge. Why are you telling me? And why _now_?" I queried, setting my elbows on the table and putting my chin in my hands so that it looked like I was leaning forward with anticipation. Actually, it didn't have to _look _like it, because I really _was._

"Well, yeah I like her. And I'm telling you 'cause I'm tired of hiding it…ish. Plus, you need some encouragement. You can't deny you're feelings for long, Rob, 'cause the best ones won't wait forever." Wally said the last part like a philosopher would. I fought the urge not to laugh. He _was _being serious. And maybe…_just maybe…_he was right. On all accounts.

"Maybe…maybe you're right, Wally. Maybe I do. What would you do, then?" I countered, wanting to know his hypothetical answer.

"I would tell you that she really – and I mean _really_ – likes you too, and that you should go for it." Wally responded simply, rolling his shoulders before continuing, "Well, I better be getting to bed. You should too, Robin. Tomorrow will potentially be a big day."

And within the time it takes you to blink, he was gone. The only thing that signified he was there to begin with at all was the lingering rush of air and the still-trembling stool.

_Damn it, Dick. You really _do _like her – maybe even love her – don't you? _I thought as I made my way toward my room.

And to answer that question: Yeah, I really did.

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><p><em><strong>So that's chapter four! Hope you like it. Next chapter is going to be divided into two parts. The first is going to be Renee explaining stuff the next morning, which is the actual chapter, and the second half is going to be a bonus little excerpt for you wonderful readers – when I was writing chapter three, I wrote out, in straight dialogue, Renee and Robin's entire discussion. So I'm going to post that as well, because I wanted to share it. I was considering a flashback, but I was afraid it would get to complicated. It'll be named "Chap 5 Excerpt", so if you don't want to read it you'll easily know what to skip.<strong>_

_**Word Counts:  
>This Chapter: 1,164<br>Total: 3,722**_

_**Happy Writings,  
>Vid.<strong>_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N:**_

_**Hello! Hope everyone enjoyed the phenomenon that was 11.11.11, I know I did. Unfortunately, I was not able to update yesterday. So, there's a small little flashback in here. And when you see it (if it's not obvious), it will be **_**written like this. **_**I repeat, it will be written in **_**bold**_**.  
>Oh, and if you're one of those people who hates it when someone uses "god" instead of "gosh" or whatever, I apologize. I say "oh my god". So that's what's written. Again, I apologize. But I'm not changing the way I write to please others, so…yeah. That's all I got.<strong>_

_**Disclaimer: If I owned YJ, Robin wouldn't have been so sad in last night's episode…nor would he had been barely in it. Lol.**_

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><p><span>Nightshadow: Chapter 5:<span>  
>~Renee's POV~<p>

I woke up early the next morning. I didn't want to, but somehow I found myself sitting in Mount Justice's kitchen with the only light being the little neon numbers on the stove telling me it was 5:30 AM.

_My god, Robin, just wake up already! _I thought, holding my face in my hands. It was weird sitting here, alone. Not to mention awkward if someone wakes up before him and I have to have a conversation with them.

As if responding to my silent plea, the Boy Wonder wandered into the kitchen. His hair was disheveled from sleep, and the dark T-shirt and sweatpants he was wearing were obviously too large. I found myself staring.

_Stop it, Renee! Stop it stop it stop it! He doesn't _like_ you like that._ I mentally kicked myself in the ass as I began to wonder - yet again - how _long_ I had 'liked' the bird like that. _Probably since the first day you met him. _My subconscious answered in the most annoying way possible. I found myself reminiscing:

"**Nightshadow, this is Robin, Batman's protégé." My mentor told me with a faint smile.**

"**Uh…hi." I said. He stuck out a hand. I shook it. **

"**Let's get to training." Batman had said then, convinced that a shake of hands was enough to get us to be comfortable around each other. I started to get nervous. **_**This boy doesn't have any powers**_**. I thought. **_**What if he reacts badly to mine?**_

**I didn't have to wait long for that answer. Robin had been kicking my ass because I was relying on my flexibility and gymnastics that I had learned when I was little, instead of my main defense mechanism: teleporting. I had been backed into a corner by the Boy Wonder when it happened. He threw a punch that I deflected with both hands. He took the opening and had a swift fist coming at my ribs when I dropped his other arm - and with a small pop, I was across the room.**

"**Whoa." A low whistle escaped the ebony-haired boy's lips. He did some sort of combination of back handsprings and flips, landing right in front of me. I opened my mouth to apologize, but Robin beat me to it, saying, "**_**That**_**. Was **_**so cool**_**! Why didn't you do that earlier? You would've had me down in seconds." **

"**I thought you would freak out…people tend to not take my teleporting well." I muttered, staring at the ground. I felt Robin's warm finger lift up my chin. He was smiling.**

"**Well, I for one don't understand that. I think it's cool. Nightshadow, would you…**_**could **_**you take me with you?" He asked. His head was tilted to one side in what I later-on realized was a common thing for Robin to do.**

"**Uh, yeah. Here." I stuck out my hand awkwardly, but Robin took it with glee, his fingers entwining with mine. I concentrated on the other corner of the room-the one that he had cornered me in mere minutes earlier-and we were there in the blink of an eye.**

"**That was totally **_**whelming**_**!" He whispered to me so Bats and my mentor couldn't hear.**

"**Whelming?" I asked, confused.**

"**Well, I'm not overwhelmed or underwhelmed. So shouldn't I be just **_**whelmed, **_**then?" He explained, laughing. I couldn't help but laugh, too.**

"**Cool. Oh, and, uh…you don't have to call me Nightshadow…Renee's just fine. I mean, we're all heroes here." I stammered, mentally slapping myself for sounding like such a moron.**

"'**Kay, Renee. That rhymes." Robin laughed a little before continuing, his voice just barely a whisper, "Bats over there doesn't want me giving out my identity. But you can call me Rob for short, if you wanna. I dunno why you can't know." **

"**Maybe one day I can." I responded with a smile. I knew exactly how Rob felt. My mentor wouldn't let me tell anyone my last name…**

"Renee…hello, Renee…Nightshadow!" Robin snapped me out of my reverie. It looked like he had been trying to get my attention for a while. I smiled sheepishly, a hot flush coming to my cheeks.

"Sorry Rob. I was just…thinking." I muttered. He smiled a genuine smile at this.

"Thinking about how you're going to tell them?" He asked innocently as he handed me a yogurt from the fridge. _At least he remembers what kind of yogurt you like. _I couldn't help but think about it forlornly.

"Yeah…actually, no point in lying to you. I was thinking about the day we first met." I ducked my head, embarrassed.

"Funny, I was just thinking about that too." Startled for a moment, I looked up. Rob had, as I expected, his head inclined to the left slightly.

"You were?" I asked, skeptical. For as long as I had known the Boy Wonder, he had a tendency to lie. He'd never lied to me, but I had watched him talk himself out of a sticky situation more than once.

"Come on, Shadow. When have I ever lied to you?" I scowled at the butchering of my 'hero name' (for lack of a better term). This, of course, made him laugh.

"Never, Rob. But _still_ with the butchering my name?" I teased, laughing along with him. Robin abruptly stopped laughing, his face falling into a stoic mask I knew all too well.

"Better get traught. The team should be getting up any minute now." I blinked slowly before realizing that Rob did his questioning-the-English-language-thing with the word _distraught. _I scoffed inwardly at the kid's strange fascination with the language we speak.

_Oh, you know you think it's adorable. _My subconscious taunted. I hastily pushed the thought aside as Wally and Artemis walked in. They were arguing.

"Do they -" Robin cut me off.

"Yeah, they do that a lot." He supplied. While I tried to follow just a shred of what Kid Mouth and the archer were talking about, Kaldur, M'gann, and Conner slipped into the now-crowded kitchen.

"Guys…Guys…GUYS!" Robin steadily raised his voice until he was practically screaming over Wally and Artemis' argument. It's safe for me to say that they shut up _immediately. _For being so young, Robin sure had a way of sounding like the leader…I, personally, thought it was because his mentor was _THE_ Batman.

Robin gave me a pointed look. "I uh…I haven't been completely honest with you guys and…I-I think that you guys sh-should know."

_Shit, not the stutter._ I moaned inwardly. If a sporadic stutter was ever possible, I would be victim number one.

"What do you mean, you 'haven't been completely honest'?" Artemis accused with venom. I resisted the urge to flinch away. _She has a right to be mad, Renee. She has a right, _I chanted in my head.

"Well, it would be best for everyone to sit down." I offered in as steady of a voice I could muster. M'gann instantly started floating with her legs tucked underneath her. She threw me a sympathetic smile. Soon everyone followed suit. Wally brought a stool around so he was sitting across from me, his back against the wall. Kaldur grabbed a stool as well and did the same. Artemis sat on the counter to my right, her eyes still sparkling with anger. Conner leaned against the wall. Robin was the last to sit. The little bird brought the only remaining stool around the island until it was next to me where he sat down with a slight smirk on his face. Taking a deep breath, I decided it would be best to start with a little background.

"I should probably start by telling you all, my mentor was Ra." I closed my eyes and listened to the gasps that came from Wally and Kaldur before continuing.

"If you don't know who Ra was, his real name was Logan Knight. He had the supernatural ability to harness the energy of the sun and project it into something similar to, say, Superman's heat ray. Only it came out of the palms of his hand. He called himself Ra because that is the Egyptian god of the sun. Fitting, I suppose. Anyway, in case you haven't caught on, Logan died. He was killed in a battle against a Gotham villain named Clockwork. Yes, yes, I'm from Gotham. Big whoop.

"Anyway, Clockwork was a little known villain at the time, but he was giving Batman and Robin a spot of trouble, so Batman called in Ra and me. At this point, I had already known Robin for about a year, if you want to know. Batman and Robin were, as Clockwork put it, 'frozen in time', and we were trying to get them out of the warehouse building because the maniac rigged it to explode. I had teleported both of them to safety and was about to start getting the innocent people on the floor above us to leave when Clockwork realized what I did and started going after me. Ra held him off and made me teleport out of there.

"As soon as I did, the building exploded. Ra – I mean Logan – was found in the wreckage by Batman a few minutes later, already dead, along with all those other innocent warehouse workers. Since both Batman and Robin were re-animated, so to speak, we figured Clockwork was dead."

I paused for a second to let them take it in. As much as I hated to admit it, I was kind of enjoying telling the story. Kind of. It was a nice weight off of my chest.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get on with it!" Wally burst out. Realizing what he did, he clamped a hand over his mouth.

"One more outburst and I will hit you repeatedly with this spoon." Artemis threatened, gesturing to the large wooden spoon that she had grabbed out of a drawer somewhere.

I chuckled a little, and then continued:

"I should probably add in here that my father happened to be there with those warehouse workers, and I blamed myself. I knew I should have taken Logan with me, and I most certainly should have remembered where my own father worked. I found that I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep. Everywhere I looked in Gotham, something reminded me of Logan, my father, or both. Distraught, I left Gotham behind – and the League, of which Ra was a part of – and went, for lack of a better term, _rogue._

"I had been hanging out in China with an old friend of the family when Clockwork robbed a bank in Hong Kong. I'll be the first to admit, I was _furious_. I wanted revenge. So I chased him around the world for the better part of the next three years. Somehow, we ended up back in Gotham. I had him cornered when he told me he rigged the place to explode. He laughed at the irony. Said I was going to end the same way my mentor did."

I paused again, but this time it was because I was ashamed of the next part. I held my head in my hands for a minute. Rob slung a comforting arm around my shoulders. I leaned into my friend a little. He was warm. And safe. I was about to continue, fuelled by the newfound warmth from Robin, when Wally accidentally broke in again.

"Then what happened – oops." He realized what he had done too late. Artemis jumped off the counter and hit him across the back of the head with the spoon. His eyes bugged wide and I heard a piercing _crack! _I gave Robin a sidelong glance, questioning why everyone was letting Artemis hurt him.

"Artemis is the only one that can keep Kid Mouth in line." He whispered into my ear. His breath was hot on my neck and I suppressed the interestingly pleasant chill that ran down my spine.

"You can continue now, Renee. Wally won't interrupt." Artemis told me. Her voice was much softer now than it was before, and as I looked up I noted with surprise that all the venom and distrust was gone from her eyes. Glancing at the rest of the team, the only one who looked anything but understanding and/or sympathetic was Superboy.

_Then again, he always looks angry_. I reminded myself with a mental shrug. Robin gave my shoulder a quick but reassuring squeeze, telling me to continue.

"I'm just going to say it now; I'm ashamed of what I did next. It was not right, not right at all. I acted on an impulse that my mentor had drilled into my brain never, _never _to react on. I threw Clockwork against the wall, knocking him out, and then I proceeded to narrowly escape an exploding building yet again.

"I left Clockwork there to _die_. Batman showed up mere moments later to find me sitting on the sidewalk in front of the burning building. I told him everything, and I mean _everything_. It was like I gave him a detailed write-up of the past three years. We went through the wreckage later and found a corpse so charred that there was no way of identifying it. I knew we were the only ones in the building so we confirmed it as Clockwork. A month later Batman calls me up and asks if I want to join this team – _your_ team – Young Justice. I said yes and well…here I am." I finished with the only thing I could think of – a nonchalant shrug.

The entire room was in silence for a full minute. Then I was lifted into the air and brought into a crushing hug by M'gann.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! That must have been so terrible!" She told me, and I could feel her tears falling onto my shirt. Soon I was set on the ground and was practically being passed around the room, everyone giving me hugs of support. Even Conner patted my back awkwardly. Last, of course, was Robin. The slightly taller boy wrapped his arms around me and let me bury my head in his chest. Hot tears starting stinging my eyes. Rob set his chin on the top of my head, allowing me a minute to let me cry without the others seeing the tears.

After a minute or two, I forcibly stopped my tears and started to pull away from Robin to drop the bomb that I had dropped on him last night – the final thing that I had to get off my chest. The last detail that would either make or break any relationships with this team. The one thing about me that Robin had never been allowed to know when my mentor was still alive. I had my chin on Robin's shoulder, now, so that they could hear me. I opened my mouth to say it -

Robin beat me to it.

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><p><em><strong>Oooohhh, Cliffy!<br>I apologize profusely, but an already long chapter was getting longer and I just had to stop it somewhere. **_

_**Once again, I would like to say that the next thing to be uploaded is a little gift from me to you with lots of love: a straight-dialogue version of Renee and Robin's conversation/Renee's confession. A lot of it is similar to what Renee said in this chapter, but I have the file on my computer, and I feel that if I have it, you should be able to read it. It should be up later today (I have to edit it to make sure I didn't forget words and sentences and such, first), and chapter six SHOULD be up tomorrow…no promises.**_

_**So anyway, review or favorite or alert or a combo of the three or don't do any of them at all…whatever floats your boat.**_

_**Word Counts:  
>This Chapter: 2,482<br>Total: 6,204**_

_**Happy Writings,  
>Vid.<strong>_


	6. Excerpt Chap 5

_**A/N:**_

_**So, as promised to no one in particular, here it is: Renee and Robin's conversation that one Wally West eavesdropped in on. It's 3**__**rd**__**person POV because I wrote it mainly to make sure that Wally heard what I wanted him to. It starts at the beginning of chapter two when Robin asks Renee where she went.**_

_**Note, this is purely because I thought that some of you readers might want to know the entire conversation.**_

_**Also, if you believe that this will answer the cliffy from chapter five, you are wrong. I wrote that after I wrote this. I wrote this (minus the beginning and ending author's note) as I was writing chapters two and three. At that point in time, I didn't know who her mentor was going to be, only that his hero name was Ra. I also assumed that Robin already knew who the mentor's secret identity was. I did, however, know Renee's connection to her mentor. But I'm leaving that part out. Don't want to spoil the surprise! :D**_

_**Disclaimer: Do not own YJ, only Renee, blah blah blah.**_

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><p><span>Nightshadow: Excerpt Chapter 5:<span>

"Renee?"

"Yeah, Rob?"

"It's been three years…"

"I'm sorry, Robin. Really sorry. I just…I needed to get away for a while, after the- the _accident_. I needed to get away from the Justice League, away from Gotham. Unfortunately, that also meant getting away from you. I didn't want to stop contact altogether, I just got a little distracted every time I tried to find you."

"It-it's alright, Renee. I can understand you wanting to get away. I just…I want to know what took you three years to come back to the League, to be honest."

"You really don't, Rob."

"I really do."

"Fine…but don't tell the rest of the Team, okay? I don't want them to know-not yet. It wasn't my best decision."

"I won't tell a soul. I promise."

"I went rogue."

"You did _what_?"

"I didn't mean to! I was staying at a friend of my father's house in Hong Kong – you know how I said my dad was the manager of that warehouse company? Yeah, well, it had its perks. I had hung up the Nightshadow suit – metaphorically and literally – and everything. But then there he was, on the news. Clockwork robbing a bank. They even had a picture of him, the sly bastard. So I found out Clockwork survived and went after him. He took me all over the world in that stupid chase, Robin. And every time I had a moment to breathe, I thought about contacting you just to say hi and that I'm all right. But then he would do something again – have his stupid goons rob a bank, kill a famous person, et cetera. I'm sorry."

"I know you didn't. It makes sense, because of your father, but you could've still called me, Renee. Revenge isn't an excuse not to ask for help. I'm sure Batman would've let me. He probably would have jumped in and helped, too. Your mentor died in that explosion. Batman was good friends with him."

"I know they were friends. I know Ra died too. That was part of the reason why I wanted to get back at him. And it was also why I didn't call you in for backup. If I went to jail for some reason or another because of this stupid three year chase, I didn't want you to go down with me."

"I-I understand that. But really, Renee. I-I just wish you would've called or-or something. Going after Clockwork, alone, that's just plain dangerous, and I was worried that something bad had happened to you. If you had-if you had called and explained _that _to me, I would've understood. I wouldn't have pressured you into letting me help, as much as I know I would have wanted too."

"I'm sorry, Rob. I was going to. Chasing after Clockwork made me remember how much I loved doing what I did with Ra and you and Batman and the League. At first I promised myself that after Clockwork was in cuffs I would call and try to see if I could come back. But then I did something stupid, Rob. I cornered Clockwork in a building he had rigged to explode and knocked him out. I left him there, Robin. Against my better judgment, I left Clockwork there. And he died."

"Dammit, Renee! Why the _hell_ did you do- oh. _Oh_. That's why you didn't – does Batman know?"

"Yeah."

"When did you tell him?"

"He was there. It was in Gotham, last month. The building that blew up with no one inside? The one that Batman rushed to the scene as soon as it went up, no doubt? Not even the police and firemen knew that we found Clockwork's skeleton. I told Bats everything after that. He asked me, later, if I wanted to join you and some other sidekicks in a covert team called Young Justice."

"You have to tell the team."

"Robin."

"I'm serious. You have to tell them. They need to know. If they find out later…some serious damage will be done. They might not trust you if you don't trust them with this right away."

"You're right. I'll tell him first thing tomorrow morning."

"Good. Here, I dunno where Tornado wants you to go, but you can sleep in the room down that hall, third door on the right."

"Thanks, Rob. Goodnight."

"Night."

"Oh, and Rob?"

"Yeah?"

"You knew my mentor's secret identity, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, now I can finally tell you…"

* * *

><p><em><strong>And there it is, folks. So, like I said, I deleted the sentence and added in an ellipse…sorry if you hate that. But you'll find out in like, the first paragraph of chapter six what she said, so don't fret.<strong>_

_**Reviews are appreciated.**_

_**Note: No word counts this chapter, technically not part of the story, so…**_

_**Happy Writings,  
>Vid.<strong>_


	7. Chapter 6

_**A/N:**_

_**So, surprise-surprise! I decided to update today (again) because I felt so bad about leaving readers hanging with a double-cliffy (once in chapter 5 and once in that little bonus quip.) **_

_**Disclaimer: Don't own young justice. Just Renee.**_

* * *

><p><span>Nightshadow: Chapter 6:<span>  
>~Robin's POV~<p>

I felt Renee start to shift in my arms so that she wouldn't be talking into my chest. I knew what she was about to tell them. She had taken me by surprise the night before by whispering it to me right before Kid Mouth showed himself. Robin didn't have a chance to respond, nor an adequate response, but Dick Grayson had the sudden urge to embrace her and tell her what happened to him, as well. But she didn't know Dick Grayson. She didn't know me. She _couldn't _know me. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, I said it for her.

"Renee's last name is Knight. Her mentor, Ra, was her brother Logan." I said gravely, still holding Renee tight against me. I watched as five pairs of eyes widened in shock.

"So…Renee, you…you lost both your brother _and_ your father in one day?" Artemis asked tentatively, her voice starting to waver with raw sympathy. Renee nodded and buried her face back into my shoulder in one motion. Warm tears started to seep through my shirt, but I didn't care. She needed to cry. For as long as I knew Renee, she would never cry. She would laugh everything off in a nonchalant way that I know made even Batman proud of his friend's little sister.

_Get your act together, Robin. _I mentally kicked myself. _For some reason, this girl makes you want to throw aside everything Batman – everything Bruce Wayne taught you. You _cannot_ do that. You don't want to put her in jeopardy like that._

As fast as Renee had started crying, she stopped and reluctantly pulled away from me. I dropped my arms, letting her. I just kept repeating Batman's number one rule in my head. Over and over and over again, my version of his gravelly voice spoke: _Never reveal your secret identity to anyone, Dick. They will become a target if you do. And if they slip up, _you'll _become a target._

I watched numbly as Artemis, Kaldur, Wally, and Miss M group–hugged Renee, consoling her and thanking her for telling them the truth, saying that it was alright and it wasn't her fault. Wally had one arm wrapped around Renee's small shoulders and was animatedly explaining how the fact that Batman _wanted _her back meant that it's okay and that he thought the team could be her redemption of sorts. He caught my gaze and gave me a wink that said, 'Hey, I'm just talking her up for you, Rob.'

"Batman 02" Interrupted my thoughts. I spun on my heel to face the Dark Knight himself.

"Batman." I said, inclining my head in greeting.

"Robin." He responded in his usual stoic fashion. I noticed, however, when he saw the team surrounding a still slightly red-eyed Renee, the corners of his mouth twitched up.

"Team, you have a mission." He stated before pressing a button, making one of the various holographic computers appear. "There seems to be a series of break-ins at various warehouses across the country. So far it's happened at Star City, Central City, and Metropolis. The League has reason to believe that the next target will be at this particular warehouse in Gotham."

"Why that one?" KF asked from behind me. I glanced back to see that he had shifted so that he was now unusually close to Artemis. _He really isn't trying to hit on Artemis during a debrief, is he? _I sighed inwardly. Typical Wally.

"Because there is only one thing that all these warehouses have in common: they were all once owned by George Carey, and were all bought out by one Walter Snow." Batman pointed to screen, which now showed an elderly man that reminded me of Alfred, then one that had the same multi-millionaire look as Bruce Wayne. I shoved that thought aside with a pang of regret. _Can't think about Dick Grayson's life right now. _I took fleeting look at Renee. She was standing next to M'gann, watching Batman with relative interest and something else I couldn't quite place, but looked like jealousy. _Now why would she be jealous?_ I pondered as Batman continued to drone on.

"Get changed and go as quickly as possible." Batman told the team. I turned to leave, but a strong hand caught my shoulder, "Robin, can I talk to you?" I nodded mutely. There was something about his body language that instantly sparked worry.

"What's wrong, Batman?" I asked tentatively, uncertain whether or not I wanted to know the answer.

"I need you to keep an eye on Renee. Walter Snow was one of Clockwork's aliases." He said in a voice that could just barely be classified as audible. I felt my mouth drop open.

"You mean…he could..?" I left the question hanging. _Oh, god. Poor Renee. If she hears this, she'll be devastated. All that work…all that pain…._stop it, Dick!_ Stop thinking like that! She is your friend. You can't let her in like that. She would never be able to see the real you. The full you. _I felt like I was playing mental tug-of-war. I wanted to let Renee in, but better judgment said I shouldn't. And Batman said I couldn't tell anyone. So I couldn't.

"We don't think it's him, no. It may be one of his thugs finishing his last wishes, or there really could be a man named Walter Snow that has nothing to do with anything. But Renee doesn't know it was one of his aliases. And you can't let her know." Batman gave me a strange look before turning and walking away, signifying the end of the conversation. I trudged back to my room to change into my suit.

_Great, _another _secret to keep from Renee._ I couldn't help but think.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Aww, poor Robin's torn. But don't worry; he won't let his secrets out that easily.<strong>_

_**So, I hope you're excited for next chapter. A review/alert/favorite would be nice…or not. Whatever floats your boat.**_

_**Word Counts:  
>This Chapter: 964<br>Total: 7,168**_

_**Happy Writings,  
>Vid.<strong>_


	8. Chapters 7 and 8

_**A/N:**_

_**So, as the chapter title says, I morphed together Chapters 7 and 8. This is because of three reasons:**_

_**I got really confused when it said I had uploaded chapter 7 before I even WROTE chapter 7…**_

_**If it confused me, than it probably confused some of you. And**_

_**Both chapters are relatively short. Chapter 7 really can't even be considered a chapter it's so short, but I couldn't switch POVs mid-chapter because that's uber-confusing. Plus, I just wanted to have Batman's thoughts thrown in there so we all could see what our favorite Bat thought about the Bird's troubles.**_

_**Um, there's going to be some telepathy speaking during chapter 8…you'll be able to tell because it'll be in quotations but also in italics. Just an FYI.**_

_**So, here's your double-whammy chapter(s). Disclaimer: I don't own YJ blah blah blah who really cares we all already know this….**_

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><p><span>Nightshadow: Chapter 7:<span>  
>~Batman's POV~<p>

I walked into Mount Justice to see everyone in the kitchen, huddled around Renee. Except Robin. He was looking on with the strangest mix of jealousy, confusion, and anger that I had ever seen etched across his face. As I walked over to ask what was wrong, he turned to face me.

"Batman." He said, nodding his head in a stoic sort of greeting.

"Robin." I replied. I let my mouth twitch into a smile momentarily as I realized _why_ the team had gathered around Renee: she had told them the truth. Good for her.

"Team, you have a mission." I stated, directing my words toward the whole group, "There seems to be a series of break-ins at various warehouses across the country. So far it's happened at Star City, Central City, and Metropolis. The League has reason to believe that the next target will be at this particular warehouse in Gotham."

"Why that one?" Kid Flash asked. I silently observed that he appeared to have been flirting with Artemis.

"Because there is only one thing that all these warehouses have in common: they were all once owned by George Carey, and were all bought out by one Walter Snow." I responded promptly. I continued to explain what they were to do while I studied the members of the covert team. Renee seemed to be trying to shoot lasers at me with her eyes, what for I didn't know. And Dick…my protégé, my _son_, seemed to be at war with himself over something. I had an inkling of suspicion, but it would be saved for another time. Right now, there were more pressing matters.

"Get changed and go as quickly as possible." I finished. I let the others turn away before I clamped a hand down on my bird's shoulder, "Robin, can I talk to you?" He nodded.

"What's wrong, Batman?" He asked, his voice uncertain.

_It seems something has made him uneasy._ I noted.

"I need you to keep an eye on Renee. Walter Snow was one of Clockwork's aliases." I dropped my voice down low so that if any of Robin's team came back, they wouldn't hear it.

"You mean…he could..?" Dick responded in a small voice, his eyes wide. It was an expected response, but there was something in his eyes. Something I couldn't quite place, but I could tell whatever it was it was eating at his conscious.

"We don't think it's him, no. It may be one of his thugs finishing his last wishes, or there really could be a man named Walter Snow that has nothing to do with anything. But Renee doesn't know it was one of his aliases. And you can't let her know." I reassured my protégé, even though it was a lie. Clockwork didn't have any thugs left, not anymore. I tracked them all down and threw them in prison after Renee explained to me everything that had happened to her. I didn't like lying to Dick, though. He always seemed to know I was.

_It's for Dick's well-being. Something isn't right. I will ask him about it later. _I concluded before turning away back towards the transport beams.

* * *

><p><span>Nightshadow: Chapter 8:<span>  
>~Renee's POV~<p>

We were sitting in Miss Martian's bio-ship on the way to Gotham (super cool, by the way) when I noticed the glances. Robin's masked gaze kept flicking in my direction, as if making sure I was still there. It was infuriating, yet sweet.

_No, not sweet…oh, to hell with it. It really _is _sweet. _I thought to myself, making sure that the rest of the team couldn't hear it. M'gann had already mind-linked us up, which was really weird. But she had told me how to separate what I wanted them to hear from my personal thoughts.

"Robin, Nightshadow, you two should head to the basement when we get there. Kid Flash and Artemis, take the second floor. Superboy, Miss Martian, you two and I will be searching the ground floor. If you find anything, and I mean _anything_, let the team know immediately." Kaldur – I mean Aqualad – said in what could only be described as a leader-ish voice. Robin took another one of his sidelong glances. I turned my head towards him and smiled, letting him know that I've been seeing what he's been doing. His eyes go wide, but he smiled – no, he _smirked_ – in return.

"Here we are!" M'gann said in what I had discovered was her normal cheerful manner. I ported out of the bio-ship before it landed.

"_Nightshadow?" _Robin asked once everyone had filed out of the ship, only his mouth didn't move. With a jolt, I realized he was using the mind link.

"_Yeah?"_ I replied mentally.

"_Don't do that." _He told me. We were walking silently down the first flight of stairs to the ground floor with M'gann, Conner, and Kaldur. I wasn't able to teleport Robin and myself to the basement because I didn't know what it looked like. The only bad thing about my powers was the fact that I had to visualize where I was going to get there. And that said place had to be in a three-mile radius. And I could only take up to 300 additional pounds. And I had to be in contact with whatever I'm taking with me. Okay, so that's four bad things. What can I say? Even the coolest powers have their limits.

"_Don't do what?" _I asked as innocently as I could as the Ground Floor Team parted ways with us. Robin stopped abruptly in front of me once they were gone. I ran into his back.

"Ow…" I muttered, but Robin had spun around and had his hands on my shoulders.

"Don't port out of the bio-ship before it lands." He whispered, his grip a little _too _tight for my liking. I squirmed, and he let go.

"Why not?" I asked, but Robin already had his back facing me again and was six steps ahead.

"Because it could land on you." He muttered it to himself, but I could still just barely make it out. My heart did one of those cliché melts that you read about in romance novels when the girl's all like, "Aw, he cares about me!"

We had just gotten to the basement when a rather out-of-breath Wally was heard in my head.

"_I think we found Snow…he's a bad guy, all right." _

"_Are you two okay?" _Kaldur responded first, concern evident in his voice.

"_Yeah, just got smacked around a little. But we're okay now. Snow ran." _Artemis told him in her usual dry tones.

"_Cool! Souvenir!" _Wally interjected happily.

"Souvenir?" I asked Robin, who shrugged, nonchalant.

"It's his thing." He supplied.

"_Everyone meet back on the roof._" Kaldur said.

"Wanna be the first ones there?" I inquired with a mischievous grin. Robin cackled in response.

"Of course!" He stated as if it was obvious and grabbed hold of my hand. We were back on the roof in a blink of an eye.

"What the- okay, that's going to take some getting used to." KF had opened the door to the roof in time to see us make our appearance.

"Eh, you get used to it." Robin held onto my hand for just a second too long before dropping it. I felt the warmth he brought with him leave.

"So what's the souvenir this time, Kid Flash?" Kaldur asked. I jumped, slightly startled. I hadn't notice them join us on the roof.

"I dunno. It's some sort of watch." He held it up for us to see. My jaw dropped.

It was a normal enough watch, if you're into that expensive stuff. Gold plated with diamonds encrusted in the face. But what made my jaw drop was the "C.W." engraved where the 12th hour should be.

"No…no, it can't be…" I muttered, stumbling away from Wally, away from that _watch_. My entire body felt numb. Even when Robin grabbed my arm to keep me from falling, I didn't feel any warmer.

"What? What is wrong?" Kaldur asked me, but his voice sounded distant. I felt tears well up and threaten to overflow, and I focused on pushing them back. My tongue felt too much like lead to respond.

I watched in slow-motion as Robin snatched the watch from the speedster's fingers and shoved it into his utility belt.

"This is not a souvenir, KF. This is Clockwork's signature. He isn't dead. He's _back._" Robin growled menacingly before walking back over to me.

_At least it's not in slow motion anymore._ I thought pitifully, desperately. _Slow motion makes me dizzy._

Robin took hold of my upper arms gently, and I felt a little of the familiar warmth that came along with the Boy Wonder's touch. I thanked my subconscious silently for allowing the initial shock to wear off quickly.

"Come on, Renee. It's gonna be okay. Get traught." He whispered, his voice soft. My tongue stopped feeling like lead long enough for me to choke out:

"Well on the bright side, I didn't kill anyone."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Ta-da! Chapters 7 and 8. Yay for Renee not being a murderer anymore! <strong>_

_**So, now that the alerts are going to say the correct chapter numbers, let's send a review! Maybe…? Please? Okay. No, no. I understand. As I have said before, I'm not going to beg. Whatever drives your train and floats your boat…can you do those two things simultaneously? **_

_**Word Counts:  
>Chapter 7: 534<br>Chapter 8: 983  
>Total: 8,685<strong>_

_**Anyway, Happy Writings!  
>Vid.<strong>_


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N:**_

_**Hello, hello! I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank anyone who's ever reviewed, you guys are amazing. Virtual hugs for all! Hahaha. Anyway, here's chapter nine…I'm not even going to do a stupid disclaimer because we all know I don't own YJ so why should I point it out repeatedly?**_

* * *

><p><span>Nightshadow: Chapter 9:<span>  
>~Renee's POV~<p>

I was sitting on the couch with Superboy, staring at the TV's snow. My mind wandered idly. Robin had left as soon as we got back to the mountain, muttering some lame excuse about having to go on patrol with Batman. M'gann was on her third batch of cookies. Artemis had disappeared with her bow, presumably to go practice. Kaldur was doing some sort of research and Wally was…well, he was sulking.

_I should probably talk to him. _I mused. _He keeps giving me those 'looks'. He feels terrible._ Making up my mind, I twisted my body around so my back was facing the television.

"Hey Wally?" I call a little loudly, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah?" His ginger head appears from the kitchen. I sigh inwardly at the expression on his face. _He thinks I'm going to tear him to shreds or something._

"It's okay, you know. Don't beat yourself up." I didn't have to explain what I was talking about; his green eyes instantly betrayed his understanding. Realizing he was being forgiven, his entire face lit up with its usual mischievous smile.

"Yeah, okay. Yeah. At least you're not a murderer. So you don't have to be all mope-y either." He joked brightly before turning to M'gann. "Hey, beautiful, want some help with that?"

Satisfied that I had solved that problem, I settled myself back onto the couch. My thoughts wandered to Clockwork. _How did he survive not one, but _two _explosions? Where is he now? Are we even going to go after him, or is the League going to handle it? What will I do if I see him again? _

My last question worried me the most. I didn't want a repeat of last time. I didn't want the same guilt. He may have been a villain, but he was still a person. I couldn't murder anyone. Now that I knew how it felt – even though I didn't really murder him – I didn't want him to die, I didn't want anyone to die. Sure, Clockwork needed to be put behind bars for, like, ever. But for him to die? Not my style. At least, not anymore.

I found myself wishing Robin was there. Robin would know what to do. _Everything just goes back to that little bird, doesn't it, Renee? _I really needed to talk to him. That was what I missed most when I left Gotham – talking to Robin. Or whoever he is. More than once I found myself wanting to rip off that domino mask of his when we would train together. Even when we were just hanging out or something, he had dark sunglasses obstructing his eyes. It had always infuriated me, but I didn't question it often after he explained why the first time: "Batman doesn't want me to reveal my identity."

_Yeah, well, Bats can stop being such a stick in the mud._ I pushed the thought aside as soon as it formed in my mind. I didn't want to think ill of the Dark Knight. He had, after all, been the one to offer a sort of redemption by the form of the Team.

"Why'd you do it?" Conner asked me suddenly, jolting me out of my thoughts. It was the first time he said anything directly to me since we had met the day before. And that had only been a grunt.

"Do what?" I already knew the answer, but I proposed the question anyway. I wanted to know what he had to say.

"Go…_rogue._ Why'd you do it?" He reiterated his question, emphasis on 'rogue'. I sighed, debating on what I should tell him.

"Because I couldn't grasp the thought of being a- being a _hero_ without my brother. I couldn't handle a world with him dead." I went with the truth.

"So you're saying…you had a moment of weakness?" He said it in the same deadpan voice that reminded me of the way Superman and Batman would talk to me whenever Nightshadow tagged along during one of Ra's meetings.

"No, Conner. I'm saying I am _still_ weak." I said. Getting a blank stare, I sighed inwardly before elaborating, "I still can't grasp the idea of ever being a hero without my brother being here. When he was alive, I thought myself a hero. Now that he's gone, I can't seem to get past being a sidekick."

I saw yellow and green out of the corner of my eye. _Wally and M'gann are listening in._ I sighed for the umpteenth time that day and gestured for them to stop hiding behind the kitchen wall. Wally was instantly sitting on the floor in front of me, and M'gann settled next to Superboy, a little too close for "just friends". _Figures that those two are together._ My subconscious interjected. I didn't ponder the thought, though, because Wally began to speak.

"What do you mean, you're not a hero? We're all heroes. Sidekicks _are _heroes, too. Does Robin know how you feel about this?" The last question took me by surprise, and I visibly flinched before I could stop myself. _Why did he just ask me that? Better yet, why _doesn't _Robin know? He knows just about everything else…_

"Robin doesn't know. Only reason why I said it is 'cause I wanted to be honest with Conner, with everyone." I shrugged and cast my gaze down at my hands. I couldn't shake the feeling that Wally knew something I didn't when he asked me if Robin knew.

"Why did you ask that, Wally? About Robin knowing?" M'gann broke the deafening silence by voicing my thoughts. I gave her a discreet nod to show my gratitude. Glancing up, I saw that she returned my thanks with a cheerful smile.

"Because they're good friends. And I dunno if Rob knows it himself, but he cares about Shadow here. Enough to want to know when something's wrong, at least. It's what any friend would want." KF seemed to throw in the last part as an afterthought, as if he was covering his tracks.

_Was he? _ I kind of wished he was. If Robin cared…_ Wait. If Robin cares as much as Wally says he does, then why does Wally seem to know more about him than I do?_ All of a sudden, I was rather angry with Robin. Not enough to go storming off and confront him about it, no; I knew that would just be disastrous. Heavy on the dis. But I was still pretty ticked.

"Team." A woman's voice spoke from behind me, making all four of us – yes, even Conner with his super-hearing – jump.

"Canary!" M'gann exclaimed cheerfully, flying over to her. "What brings you here?"

"Training. Get Kaldur and Artemis. You guys are going to learn how to fight a controller of time."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Woo! It's Black Canary! <strong>_

_**Kinda boring chapter, if you ask me. But I had to set some things up first before a POV-switch. You know how it is.**_

_**Reviews are appreciated.**_

_**Word Counts:  
>This Chapter: 1,139<br>Total: 9,824**_

_**Happy Writings,  
>Vid.<strong>_


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N:**_

_**Just to let you know, this is one of those "Meanwhile…" Chapters.**_

* * *

><p><span>Nightshadow: Chapter 10:<span>  
>~Robin's POV~<p>

_Meanwhile, in the Bat Cave…_

I paced the Cave impatiently. When I had first come home, Alfred had come down to ask if I needed anything, but I brushed him off with "I'm waiting for Bruce to return." It had been a good hour, and he still wasn't back from…well, from wherever he was. As if responding to my growing impatience, Batman arrived (in the Batmobile, of course.)

"Dick, what are you-" He began, but I cut him off.

"Clockwork's back. I dunno how, or why, or whatever, but he's alive and he's _back._" To enforce my accusation, I pulled out the watch. Bruce pulled down his cowl with one hand and grabbed the watch with the other. His face was a stoic mask, but years of living with Bruce Wayne told me that he was shocked.

I began to pace again. "Renee almost had a breakdown when she saw it. Now we have to go after the guy, _again,_ I mean, what the hell? Why can't he just leave her alone? Did he even _know _she's back in Gotham? Back with the League?" I realized I was rambling, but I didn't care. I had the look on Renee's face etched into my eyelids and it made my chest feel like it was being stepped on by a sumo wrestler.

"Robin-" The Dark Knight began, but I just kept going.

"He couldn't have known unless someone told him, it's been what? A day? Two? How did he survive that explosion? How did he survive the _first _explosion? Why does he live on when everyone else dies? Why did he _get _to live when Ra _didn't_? It's-"

"_Dick!_" Bruce roared my name, clamping onto my shoulders to get me to stop pacing.

"I don't know any of those answers, Richard. But I do know one thing – you _really_ care about her." I looked up, startled. A small, sad smile graced my adoptive father's face.

"W-what?" I spluttered, trying to comprehend what he just told me.

"You know what I said, Dick." The sad smile was still there.

"I know what you said, but I don't know what you're talking about." I spoke indignantly, determined not to admit it.

_If I admit it, it'll just be harder for both me and my Shadow. I'll never get to tell her what she eventually - if not already - wants to know. _I fed myself this reasoning, but I couldn't help but if my subconscious was a person, they would be laughing at me for the pathetic excuse.

"Yes, you really _do _know what I'm talking about. Don't deny it, Dick. Denying your feelings won't save anyone." Bruce's voice had softened substantially. I watched as he knelt down to my level, like he used to do when I was a kid. Or, well, a younger kid.

"Follow your heart, Dick. But remember, you'll always be Robin to her." His dark eyes bore into mine for a minute before he stood up and let go of my shoulders.

"Now, get going, or you'll miss Canary's training." He patted my shoulder before ushering me to the Zeta platform. I turned back just in time to see Bruce's face cloud over with sadness before I was transported to Mount Justice.

"Robin, B01." I stepped into the mountain to see the entire team plus Canary and Red Tornado surrounding Renee, who was talking animatedly with her hands.

"-he's always stopping one thing or another, but once you break his concentration, whatever he stopped becomes re-animated." She was saying.

"Don't forget that he can only quote-unquote 'freeze' a few things or people at a time. Once he hits his max and he freezes someone else, the first thing he froze becomes unfrozen." I interjected, making the entire team jump, except Renee. I assumed she heard the computer announce my arrival.

"Robin! Just in time!" She proclaimed over her shoulder with a smile.

"Yeah, Rob, where were you?" KF asked suspiciously. I opened my mouth, but Renee spoke for me:

"He was with Batman, obviously. Probably to tell him what happened. Come on, Wally, where did you _think _he went?" She laughed teasingly, and KF flushed before joining in. I silently noted that once again, he was unusually close to Artemis. _I have to talk to him about that, eventually._

After a few more teasing jokes thrown back and forth between my best friend and, well – I really didn't know what Renee was classified as anymore. All I knew was that my head was reeling and my chest hurt because of her, and it really didn't bother me that those things were happening.

And I must admit, as I walked over to the group and Renee continued to explain how to fight a guy like Clockwork, I couldn't help but want to wrap my arm around my Shadow's waist.

_Hmm. My _Shadow_. I think I like that name for Renee. _I was playing with that thought when my subconscious bubbled up just to throw in one potentially unfortunate - yet true - thought:

_After all, you want her to always be right there beside you, Dick._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Aw, Dick loves her! :D Makes me happy. How 'bout you?<strong>_

_**So, yeah. That's chapter 10…reviews and favorites and alerts are nice…I dunno why I feel the need to say that after every chapter….ha.**_

_**Word Counts:  
>This Chapter: 862<br>Total: 10,686**_

_**Happy Writings,  
>Vid.<strong>_


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N:**_

_**So, like I said before, there will be some battling! Heehee. Bear with me; I'm not too good with writing that kind of stuff.**_

* * *

><p><span>Nightshadow: Chapter 11:<span>  
>~Kid Flash's POV~<p>

"So, on that note, everyone grab a partner for one-on-one practice. I know there are an odd number of you, so whoever doesn't have a partner will work with me. I want you guys to practice using each other's powers and skills to your advantage." Canary dismissed us to find our partners with a wave of her hand. I instantly sped right over to Artemis, tugging at her ponytail.

"Wanna be partners?" I asked. Artemis punched my arm lightly.

"Sure, whatever Kid Idiot." She responded dryly, but a small smile played on her lips.

_Good enough for me._ I thought, glancing around the room. M'gann and Conner teamed up, as expected. Also expected was the pairing of Renee and Rob, but apparently not to the others, for they were all stealing glances at the two youngest members curiously.

_I really hope she doesn't tell Rob about my slip-up. _I thought nervously, _He'll kill me if he found out I accidentally gave away his secret crush. _

"Alright, Nightshadow and Robin, why don't you two go first?" Canary prompted, and we all stepped to the side to give them room.

"Ready to go down, Rob?" Renee teased, putting herself in a fighting stance.

"Uh, be prepared to feel the aster. Because it's _you _going down, Shadow." The Boy Wonder taunted right back, a small smile gracing his face.

"Whenever you two are ready." Black Canary said, sighing.

Robin let out a cackle and disappeared.

"Oh, come _on _Rob, you gotta make it more difficult!" Renee rolled her eyes before disappearing in a wisp of black smoke, only to reappear with a soft _pop_ on top of a hanging light fixture I didn't even know was there. I craned my neck to see that Robin was swinging on the fixture next to hers.

_How did she know he was up there? _I wondered in awe, and a sidelong glance at Artemis told me she was thinking along the lines of the same thing.

Robin and Renee looked like - for lack of a better explanation - they were playing tag. One would land a punch to the ribs or a kick to the shoulder before the other would dance away. At this point, I would like to remind you that they were still on the fluorescent lighting fixtures that you would find in a parking garage. It was a fascinating mid-air game of tug-of-war until Rob landed a particularly hard kick in the stomach that sent Renee flying backwards towards the ground. We all held our breath, certain it would be the end of the fight until, amazingly, and Renee flipped herself over and landed like a cat on all fours.

"Where'd you learn that one?" Robin asked, landing lightly beside her. She gave him a roundhouse-kick to the left shoulder before replying with one simple word:

"Singapore."

"Ahh." I couldn't tell if it was a grunt of pain or a show of understanding on Rob's part. They continued their little dance of give-and-take on the ground: Robin would try to hit Renee, who would disappear in the curl of black smoke I had finally begun to get used to, then she would come back and try to hit him. Then the bird would flip away and the cycle would start over again.

It was truly fascinating to watch. I wished I had gotten it on camera. It was a flurry of acrobatics, gymnastics, and so many different types of martial arts that I couldn't keep track of what moves belonged to which style.

We began to think that the fight would never end; they were just too evenly matched. For some reason, each thirteen-year-old could predict the other's next move as if they had known all along how the training exercise would play out. That is, of course, until it ended.

I knew it was coming when Renee suddenly flashed a smug smile before teleporting. Anticipating her next move, Robin did a 180 so he was facing Superboy and M'gann instead of Artemis and I. Renee came back in the blink of an eye – but she was right back to where she had been standing a mere moment ago. Before you could say 'pudding', Renee had crouched down and swiped Rob's legs out from under him, making him hit the floor. The computer announced his defeat, the exercise was over, and Renee had won.

Needless to say, we were all shocked.

Yeah, sure, we knew that Renee and Robin had both started around the same time, but we had all thought the little bird was going to win.

Renee offered Rob her hand to help him up. He grabbed it, flipped her onto her back, and then pulled her off the ground.

"Can't go without throwing me onto my back, can you?" She asked with a smile as we all stared open-mouthed.

"Nope." Robin said as they burst out laughing.

Canary was the first to recover from the surprise, "Well, that was…fantastic. You both did very well. Renee, how did you know what Robin was going to do?"

"I didn't." She smiled sheepishly at Canary and Rob's questioning looks. "I teleported up onto the light fixture again to see what Rob would do, then went back down. Since his shoe squeaked when he turned, no one heard when I reappeared the first time. Honestly, I feel like I cheated a little." I saw her cheeks go red with embarrassment and she ducked her head down. Robin slung an arm around her shoulders.

"Nonsense, it was perfectly valid. And totally aster." He assured her with a small smile. She just flushed redder.

"Why don't you and I go next, Arty?" I said cheekily, mimicking the Boy Wonder's actions by placing an arm over Artemis' shoulders.

"Don't _ever _call me Arty, Kid Idiot." She growled, shrugging my arm off, but I saw the glimmer in her eye that told me otherwise.

_Yup, she digs me. _I thought, grinning to myself. I looked over at Robin and Renee to see them disappearing down the corridor toward the infirmary. Rob still had his arm around Renee, but now she had her arm around his midsection, as well. She was also limping slightly.

_That fall must have done more damage than she let on. _I shook my head slightly. She hadn't even flinched when she fell.

_She's stronger than I am._ I couldn't help but hang onto that thought as Artemis and I took center stage for our fight.

* * *

><p><em><strong>So, there's chapter 11. There's a little spitfire in there if you squint, so don't worry, it'll happen soon.<strong>_

_**Really excited for chapter 12, most of its going to take place in their little infirmary. (I dunno if Mount Justice has one, but I'm assuming it does. After all, what superhero base wouldn't? Plus, I needed a different setting besides the kitchen…I seem to like writing about the kitchen…lol.)**_

_**Word Counts:  
>This Chapter: 1,088<br>Total: 11,774**_

_**Happy Writings,  
>Vid.<strong>_


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N: **_

_**Chapter 12 is where it's AT, man! Woo! Haha. Sorry, my inner obscure 80s movie came out just then. But seriously, I'm really proud of this chapter. Lemme know what you think!**_

_**Warning: There is fluff. But what did you expect when the summary had not one but THREE ships?**_

* * *

><p><span>Nightshadow: Chapter 12:<span>  
>~Renee's POV~<p>

My ankle hurt like hell. I was fighting back tears of anguish by the time we got to the infirmary and I was sitting on one of the bed-like things you see in doctor's offices. I didn't know what they were called.

"You okay?" Robin asked tentatively as he rooted through cabinets to find what he needed to wrap my ankle.

"Nothing's broken. But it hurts. I should've spent more time working with Lee on that in Singapore." I replied after a moment of calming myself down – I didn't like crying in front of people. Even if it _was _Rob.

"Lee? Really?" He scoffed a little. I gave him a quizzical look.

"What's wrong with the name Lee?" I asked defensively. Lee was a great guy, and it seemed like Robin was judging him.

"Nothing, nothing. Tone down the chalant, Renee. It's just funny to me because Lee is one of those stereotypically Asian names…not that I'm being stereotypical." Robin chuckled to himself some more as he gave up his search and just pulled the required materials out of his utility belt. I sighed.

"Why didn't you just take that stuff out of your utility belt to begin with?" He snapped his head up from my ankle to look me in the eye.

"Because I thought they might have a bigger wrap. But I can't seem to find it, and I don't want to call in Tornado, so we're going with this." He explained it to me patiently yet quickly, which was surprising. Usually Robin took the long way around to explain something because that was the way he thought. Or to show off how smart he was. I could never decide which was true.

"Oh." We sat in silence for a couple of minutes, Rob's ebony head bent over my right ankle, which was resting in his lap. His hair fell into his face. _Adorable._ I thought. Alarmed, I began to push the thought away, but changed my mind.

_I give up trying to change the way I feel. So not worth it. _I mentally declared, smirking at how defiant I sounded, even in my own head. Then I thought of something – something that had been tugging at my gut earlier.

"Robin?" I broke the silence. The Boy Wonder's masked eyes glanced up at me before responding.

"Yeah, Shadow?" He replied, still bent over my foot. I smiled a little at the nickname Rob had oh-so-cleverly thought up when we first met. Robin was the only one in the League who could call me that besides my brother and _not_ get injured – and Rob wasn't even technically part of the Justice League. I fondly remembered the time Flash accidentally called me Shadow. I decked him.

Pushing the memories aside, I focused on what I really wanted to talk about:

"I was talking to KF and some of the others earlier." I began tentatively.

"Continue." He stated, his voice almost reaching the level of deadpan that Batman so often used. I suppressed a shudder.

"I got the feeling that he knew more than I did…on the subject of you. Does he…does he know your name? And I mean the real one, not Robin. I know he knows that." I held my breath in anticipation. The bird in front of me's head snapped up, eyes widened in alarm.

"No! Why would you think that? I know that you know that if I was for some reason suddenly aloud to let my identity be known to the Team or anyone that I would tell you first. Wait, you know that, right?" His head was inclined to the left, as usual. I was a little taken aback at his response, because truthfully, I _hadn't _known that he would tell me first. I guess part of me assumed it, but I knew how close he was to the red-headed speedster.

"Yeah, of course." I lied, and I instantly knew that Robin had detected it. But I was too busy wondering what Wally could've known that I didn't.

"You didn't know that." It wasn't a question; it was Rob's way of telling me that he knew I lied. I nodded in agreement.

"Renee…" He trailed off, mouth turned down into a frown. Carefully moving my ankle aside, he stood and wrapped his arms around my waist. As if by natural reflex, I felt my arms move so that they were wrapped tightly around his torso. I leaned my head against his chest, and sensed his chin rest onto my hair. It felt…_right._ There was no other word for it. But I still _had _to know. Not only what Wally had covered his tracks over earlier, but something else as well. Something that I had never had the _overwhelming _urge to know, for some strange reason.

I wanted to know Robin's name.

Well, I really wanted to know the other side of Robin, the one no one could see. But at that point…I just wanted to know his name, his _real _name. I wanted to call him something other than 'Robin' or 'Rob'. He called me Renee. Why couldn't I call him by his name?

This sudden desire to know Robin's name scared me a little. It made sense. I _liked _the boy who now held me in his arms. Maybe even _loved _him. But it still scared me. So I decided to press forward first what I had originally begun to question: What did Kid Mouth know?

"What _does _Wally know, then?" I asked, my words slightly muffled by Robin's suit. I heard his heart begin to beat faster.

_What the hell? _I didn't understand. _Hearts beat faster in response to adrenaline and nerves…what could he possibly be nervous about? _

"He knows…well, he uh…" Robin stammered for a bit, and I pulled away slightly to look up at him. He looked down at me, his face inches from mine. Suddenly, his mouth flickered into a smile. Not a smirk, no. It was a real, genuine smile.

"Well he uh?" I questioned teasingly, my lips curling into a smile of my own. What can I say? Robin did that to me. He made me _want _to smile.

"He knows this." And before I comprehended what was happening, soft lips brushed against mine. My eyes widened, and my heart lifted.

_Am I dreaming? _I couldn't help but think it, but then his hand was on the back of my neck and his lips pressed against mine again. _Nope, not dreaming. Kiss him back, you moron!_ I told myself as my eyes fluttered shut. And then I kissed him back. The familiar warmth I usually felt when Robin had his arm wrapped around me was coursing through my bloodstream, filling every pore in my being with an electric warmth that I would never forget.

Needless to say, Robin was a _fantastic _kisser.

The kiss ended too soon, though, as we both pulled away, slightly out of breath. Robin smiled down at me, the corners of his mask crinkling. God, how much I wanted to rip that mask off. But I couldn't. I promised myself that I would talk to Robin about it. If _I _wanted to know, surely _he _wanted to tell me, right? I pushed those thoughts aside. _Best to live in the moment, Renee._

"KF knows that you're a great kisser?" I teased, determined to hear him laugh. I was rewarded with a chuckle and the flush that crept up his neck and onto his cheeks.

"No. No, he knew how much I cared about you. Before I even realized it, in fact." He told me sheepishly, his cheeks getting pinker.

"Guess he's not so much of a Kid Idiot after all." I joked lamely. I really didn't know what to do; I had never been kissed before. Rob laughed again before his face fell into a stoic facade that rivaled Batman's. I chewed nervously on my bottom lip, afraid that I did something to make him shut me out.

"Renee?" He spoke seriously, his voice monotone. I gulped.

"Yeah?" The bird's masked face kept the same front up for a millisecond before transforming into that rare, soft smile that I had come to love so much.

"I love you. You know that, right?" Robin – _my _Robin – said those three words that I realized I had been secretly begging to hear with so much raw emotion that I didn't even have to think to formulate my response.

"I love you too." At that, Rob's soft smile broke into a toothy grin. I smiled back, my heart doing back flips of joy in my chest.

And then Robin kissed me again, and the electric warmth came back.

* * *

><p><em><strong>I couldn't help but give an audible 'Aw' as I re-read through this. I am NOT ashamed of my fluffy-ness. I feel it was necessary.<strong>_

_**Word Counts:  
>This Chapter: 1,455<br>Total: 13,229**_

_**Until next time and happy writings,  
>Vid. <strong>_


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N:**_

_**Oh my god guys I am sooo sorry for being all M.I.A! It's totally my fault too. At first, I got locked out of my own computer and had to take it to a techie friend of mine, who then wound up keeping it through the whole thanksgiving holiday because there was apparently some sort of major glitch or whatever that I caused by locking myself out. So I am really, really, really uber super sorry. But I guess it's just what life decided to throw at me. So, yeah. Chapter 13.**_

* * *

><p><span>Nightshadow: Chapter 13:<span>  
>~Robin's POV~<p>

I kept my arm wrapped tightly around Renee's waist as we walked back to the rest of the team. I knew how bad something like what happened to her ankle could hurt at first, and I was secretly proud of her for not showing how much pain she was in. But part of me wanted her to show the pain, just so that I could try to make it go away.

We walked in comfortable silence. Glancing over, I could _see _the wheels turning through her eyes. They were green today, the color of the sea.

"What's up?" She asked, and I felt my cheeks grow hot. I had been staring.

"Nothing. Just trying to guess what color your eyes are." I replied, which rewarded me with a wry smile.

"I told you once before, they're the color of mud." That particular memory sparked in the recesses of my mind. I had told her they looked violet that day. She took out a compact mirror, and after a moment proclaimed that they were the color of mud. They still looked purple to me that day, even when I looked in the mirror at her.

"And I've told you multiple times that they're not." I responded gently. Part of me just wanted to snap at her, to drill it into her head that she was wrong, but I knew that would just end disastrous. Heavy on the dis. Plus, she's a teenage girl. I was smart enough to know that they always think down of themselves.

"Tomato, Toe-mah-toe." She said with a grin, enunciating each syllable so it sounded ridiculous.

"Hey Rob?" Renee's voice dropped to a whisper, so quiet that I almost missed it. My heart skipped a beat – not in a good way. One of the first things you come to learn about the chocolate-haired girl is that when her voice gets soft, it's never good.

"Yeah?" I answered slowly, tentatively. But my mind was racing, trying to figure out what was wrong. _What would Batman do? What would _Bruce _do? _I found myself repeating.

"I'm pretty tired. I think I'm gonna go take a nap." She said with a faint smile. But it didn't reach her brilliant sea-green eyes. _That's not all. Something's bothering her._ _But _what? _And why won't she tell me?_ I knew I was worrying too much, I knew that if/when I asked KF or Batman about it later they'd say I was worrying too much, but I couldn't help it. I mean, since I met Renee I've always had a strange _want_ to fix whatever was wrong. _But now…now it's whelming. No, it's _**over**_whelming. _Was this what it felt like to be in love?

I would have to ask Bruce.

"Okay. Do you want me to walk you to your room?" I decided on acting oblivious to her tone of voice until I could gain ground on discovering what was wrong.

"Nawh, it's okay Rob. You should probably get back to training." She kissed my cheek delicately, and with that I felt her warmth leave my side.

I watched her take a few shuffle-like steps away from me so she didn't accidentally take her with me. Then she disappeared with a faint pop and a coil of charcoal black smoke.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Rob!" KF zoomed toward me from the other side of the room, skirting around the training battle between Kaldur and Black Canary.<p>

"Hey, KF." I responded cheekily. By the look on Artemis' face across the room, she had won. _Impressive that she beat Wally without her bow…actually, scratch that. I was expecting her to kick his ass._ KF must've seen where I was looking, because I was rewarded with a punch to the shoulder and a mumbled "Not a _word_, Boy Wonder." I just laughed.

"Where's Renee?" M'gann asked. I turned to face her direction, only to find her floating a good six inches off the ground right next to me.

"Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to startle you!" She said hurriedly, obviously picking up on my surprise.

"It's okay. She landed on her ankle pretty heavily, but nothing's broken. She decided to go rest for a bit." I responded. The latter half of my report was directed towards Canary, who nodded slightly as she dodged Kaldur's attack.

"Yes, that would seem to be ideal. She doesn't need help learning how to fight someone like Clockwork, anyway." She commented as she flipped Kaldur onto his back, ending the battle.

"So _that's _what this exercise is all about? Learning to fight Clockwork?" Artemis had her hands on her hips and one eyebrow up, skeptical.

"Yes. Why else would I have had Renee explain how he operates beforehand?" Canary spoke calmly, but I could tell she was a little annoyed that the archer had asked.

"I don't see how it'll help." Artemis responded in the same cynical manner. I took this as my cue to step in.

"Because Clockwork will be able to take away anything you throw at him. You have to rely on skills that you don't usually rely on. It would be useless for you to shoot an arrow at him or for me to throw a bird-a-rang or Kaldur to pull out his water swords. He could-and will-just freeze them, walk over, and redirect it right back at us. Fighting someone who can stop time involves a lot of patience and skill. You have to be able to figure out how he thinks in the very beginning or else they'll have the upper hand. This exercise teaches and hones that skill." Artemis looked at me in wonder for a second, like she had just had some sort of epiphany, her hands sliding off her hips.

"So that…that's how Renee knew you went up to the light fixture!" She exclaimed, obviously proud of herself. I sighed inwardly at her ignorance. Couldn't really be helped, everyone has moments where they don't understand until later. But I had thought Artemis, being rather smart, would have caught on.

"Yes, that is how Renee knew." Canary responded with a note of exasperation in her voice. I held back a smug smile. _Artemis is really getting on Canary's nerves today. Hahahahahaha. _

I sat down and leaned my back against the wall as M'gann and Supey prepared for their turn at training. Wally plopped down next me in a most ungraceful fashion.

"Hey Wally?" I muttered out of the side of my mouth. I knew I was at risk of being overheard, but I had to tell red-headed speedster what happened.

"Yeah, Rob?" He picked at the edge of his red t-shirt.

"I…I did it." I waited anxiously for his response. I didn't know what my best friend's reaction would definitely be, but I had a general idea. I watched Wally out of the corner of my eye. For a moment he just sat there, but then his green eyes widened and he bolted upright.

"You mean…did she…oh my god Robin! What…now, wait, can't talk here." KF was talking to himself more than me as he dragged me to my feet. "Canary, we're gonna get a snack." He called over his shoulder as he hauled me into the kitchen. _Why is it always the kitchen?_ I was about to voice my thoughts when Wally kept pulling on my arm until we were down the hallway and in the room set up for Artemis so she could practice her archery.

"Why-?" I didn't have to finish the sentence; KF was already answering my question.

"It's private, and Artemis won't be using it soon. She doesn't practice immediately after an exercise, so we should have time. And no, don't ask how I know that. You're the detective; figure it out in your head. But tell me. Tell me _everything._" It took me a little longer than normal to process what he was saying, he was talking so fast. I set my hands on his shoulders in an effort to calm him down. He was vibrating with excitement.

_He's excited for _me_? _I tried to comprehend the thought. I mean, I knew what the feeling was, I knew that it should be expected, since he _is_ my best friend and all. _It was expected, Dick, don't over-analyze it. _With a mental shrug, I chose how I was going to tell him what he was asking.

"I uh…well, she actually asked me if you knew my real identity. Then I said you didn't. Then I kissed her. And she kissed me back. Then I told her I love her. And she said she loves me back. And then she went to her room." I felt so awkward, so out of place recalling the in-a-nutshell version of what had happened in the infirmary. Wally picked up on this (it was ridiculously obvious in my voice and shuffling feet) and just smiled.

"That is _great _Rob. Really great. I'm happy for you. But seriously dude, I told you so. I _told_ you so." He smiled down at me, and a vicious thought came to mind.

"If you told _me _so, when are you and Artemis gonna get together? You two are already practically hanging off each other." I let a smug grin grace my face as Wally's mouth dropped to the floor. I waited patiently for him to regain his powers of speech, studying the plain gray walls, floor, and ceiling as if they were the most interesting things in the world.

"I…we…I don't…c'mon, Rob! Why d'you always have to do that to me?" He whined. I turned my attention back to his emerald eyes.

"Because if I don't, you'll never ask her out." I said matter-of-factly. Wally just huffed in agreement.

"I will, I will. I'm just waiting for the right time. Plus, she hates me."

"No, she doesn't. Trust me, I can tell Wally."

"You left something out of your story." He said, flipping the subject back to me. I didn't mind, I was expecting it.

"I probably just overreacted slightly at what she said." I shrugged as nonchalantly as I could, but to no avail. Wally raised an eyebrow.

"What did she say?"

"It's not what she said, just how she said it. When she said she was going to go relax in her room for a little bit, her voice got all quiet and reserved. Like something was wrong. I mean, she could've just been tired, or whatever, but it bothered-bothers me a little." I let some of my defenses fall. I – Dick – was originally going to talk to Bruce about it later, but I realized it was a lot easier for me – Robin – to talk to Wally about this. I already knew what Bruce would say. 'You were overreacting. She'll be fine. It's something she has to work out on her own.' I didn't need to hear it if I already knew.

"Sounds to me like she had something on her mind." Wally ran a hand through his hair and began to pace.

"But _what _Wally? _What_?" I tried to hide the growing despair I was feeling. _What if she doesn't really care about me like I do her?_ I desperately struggled to push the thought out of my mind, but it just kept bouncing around my brain like _Pong._

"That depends. What did she do after she said she was going to go to room?" He sounded surprisingly calm as he paced. It was almost as if our roles had reversed. It was a daunting thought, switching places with Wally. Some might have even described it as scary.

"She…she kissed my cheek, then teleported." I felt my face grow hot, the spot where her lips had touched tingling.

"Well, I wouldn't worry about her not caring. The fact that she kissed you combined with the fact that she teleported instead of walking means she cares about you."

"How do you figure?" Wally turned to face me, his green eyes glinting with the happiness that he had deduced something I hadn't. _Leave it to Kid Flash to be happy about something as trivial as that while trying to console a friend. _

"I don't know her as well as you do, and I certainly haven't known her as long as you," KF smirked and I rolled my eyes behind my mask. _He's rubbing it in._ "but it seems to me that she's a strong enough person to walk to her own room injured just to show everyone – herself included – that she's okay. But considering she teleported instead, she was probably trying to save you from the potential pain of watching her struggle." I resisted the urge to face palm. _Duh, Dick. You are just so freakin' observant. _I thought to myself sarcastically.

"So, it's not that she doesn't care…damn it, Wally! I'm such a moron! She probably…shit." I _did _face palm that time. It was just _so _obvious that I couldn't believe I didn't pick up on it.

"What?" I pinched the bridge of my nose and elaborated:

"She wanted to ask me a question. And what question would someone who loves _Robin_ want to know? _Who I really am_! I am _so _screwed, it isn't even funny." Wally's mouth hung open.

"Damn. What are you going to do? I mean, do you even _want _to tell her?" He asked, and the gray walls were rapidly closing in on me.

"Of _course_ I do…at least, she deserves to know…but it could put her in serious danger, if a villain found out she knew, you know…I just…I dunno. I want to, 'cause she deserves to know all of me, but I want to protect her at the same time…does that make any sense?" I dropped my head, suddenly exhausted. I heard Wally hum his confirmation. At least he understood what I was saying.

"But what are you going to do?"

"The only thing I can, Wally. I'm gonna talk to Batman and try to get him to make an exception." Wally seemed to accept that answer, and the speedster was suddenly pulling at my arm once again.

"What are you _doing_?" I asked, irritated at the sudden change in subject and the fact that KF was dragging me around.

"Lighten up! We're gonna get some food. We were, after all, getting a snack." KF said with a mischievous glint in his eye.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Allllll rightttt! Really long chapter! I like long chapters. They, to me, are more fulfilling. Anyway, I'm going to apologize once more for being gone for almost two weeks now. I felt so bad while I was sitting there scratching away at a piece of paper, trying to write without having all the other previous chapters at my disposal. (All the final drafts are on the computer. Needless to say, I've printed them all out.) <strong>_

_**So yeah. Hopefully my computer will have no other problems…**_

_**Word Counts:  
>This Chapter: 2,397<br>Total: 15,626**_

_**Happy Writings,  
>Vid.<strong>_


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N:**_

_**Hey everyone!  
>So, here's chapter 14…back to Renee! Yay! Time for a new disclaimer: Don't own anything except what I've already said I don't own with the new additions of the old man and of the character of Renee's mother. *gasp* YES, she has a mother! Lol. I also don't own any of the places and people mentioned in this chapter. There's a couple, and I apologize for all the random references all of a sudden…I really don't know what compelled me to put them in there.<strong>_

* * *

><p><span>Nightshadow: Chapter 14:<span>  
>~Renee's POV~<p>

I was sitting on the rooftop of the Al Hirschfeld Theatre in The City. Correction, New York City. I had been so used to my parents calling NYC "The City" when I was young. As I listened to the pit orchestra warming up for that evening's performance – I believed it was "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" (I wasn't to be bothered leaning over the side to see the neon sign) – I let my mind wander to Mount Justice. I had changed into my civvies, made a call, and left a note (in case anyone came looking for me) as soon as I knew Robin was back with the others. Then I had teleported until I reached this particular rooftop at my maximum three-miles-at-a-time pace. Only time that restriction of my powers infuriated me was when I was trying to get to another city. Always took _so _much energy. Faster by far than anything other than zeta tubes, however. I was waiting for who I called when _he_ came.

"Lookin' fer meh?" A scratchy voice spoke from behind me, the illiterate words hanging in the air like the layer of smog that I had grown to find comfort in.

"Nawh, Ol' Man. Waiting fer meh mum." I responded in the same language, my words enveloped in a slight twang. I stood and turned slowly on my heel to face him. Ol' Man was just as I had last seen him four and a half years previously. The same grimy clothes, rotting teeth, and leathery skin. I was surprised he remembered me.

"I've been a-hoppin' these theater rooftops fer the past four years waitin' fer ya." Well that explained that. I found myself sucked into a six-year-old memory with his words…

**I was crying. Perched on the roof of the St. James Theater, watching tourists file into the matinee performance of "The Producers". **

"**Wha' ya be doin' har?" The voice in itself was enough for young me to know that the man was on the street for a living. **

"**Whaddya wanna know 'bout it?" I didn't turn around, instead mimicking his speech pattern.**

"**Clever. Yer mum's lookin' fer ya." The man snickered. This time I did turn around, allowing this street urchin to see my tear-stained face.**

"**How d'ya know meh mum? Er betta yet, who **_**are**_** yeh?" I questioned. The man laughed again, this time smiling to show me his black and gnarled teeth. I looked straight into his yellow eyes and held his gaze until he responded.**

"**Ol' friends. An' I'm known 'round har as Ol' Man." I stifled a laugh. **_**Ol' Man? You've got to be kidding me. **_

"**Alrigh'. Fine. Where's she at?" **

"**Tsk, tsk, tsk. I ain't gonna let ya just go back ta her in this state yer in. Tell Ol' Man wha's got ya upset."**

…I had spilled everything to him that night. And whenever I needed to talk, he would be there. On whatever rooftop in the Theater District I happened to land on, he'd be there not a minute later for me to talk to. Ol' Man became a mentor, a therapist, and a friend. It was peculiar, considering he was a homeless elderly man who had lost all him money in the stocks. Then I left without a trace when my brother gave me the opportunity to be his side-kick of sorts. I felt a pang of guilt to know that he had been waiting for me.

"I'm sorry." I reverted back to my normal dialect.

"Nawh, nawh. I know. I jus' had nothin' bettas ta do. Plus, I knew ya'd be needin' meh eventually." He nodded in understanding, his eyes glinting with unfathomable knowledge.

"Everything's turned on its head, Ol' Man. I've…I think I'm…I'm in love with half of a man." I confessed. I felt so small standing across from him on that rooftop. He was the priest and I was the small child shoved into the box as punishment for being bad. I let my gaze drift from him to the comedy joint/restaurant next door.

"Oo. I betta let yer mum handle this one, mah girl. I wasn't never good at lovin' things." I nodded solemnly at his response.

"I betta let ya go. Jus' rememba, Renee. I'm har, I'll always be har." I nodded again, and he was gone. Just like that. Left me to my own thoughts. I briefly teleported over to the Majestic to see if Phantom was still playing – of course it was. "American Idiot" had left, though, from St. James across the street. With a shrug, I returned to Hirschfeld to see her standing there.

"There you are!" My mother said with a smile, opening her arms. I begrudgingly stepped into her hug.

"Mom." I said curtly, patting her back awkwardly.

"Darling, darling. I haven't seen you in weeks!" She exclaimed, holding me tight. I squirmed out of her arms.

"Mom, it's been two years." I sighed inwardly. My mother had always been like that – not knowing the time or place. According to my dad, she originally had been sharp as a tack. But apparently, she gradually changed, and by the time I had been born, she had a screw loose.

_Now, it seems, she's even worse._

"Oh, it seems like only yesterday your father and I were commuting you back and forth from Gotham to see me on the Big Stage. How is your father? I haven't heard from him in a while…" She trailed off, pulling me out at arm's length as she did. I felt hot pricks at my eyes, and fought to hold them back.

_She can't remember, Renee. She doesn't know. The only things she remembers anymore are her lines, steps, and cues for whatever ensemble she's a part of. _I reminded myself, trying to take deep breaths. _Be patient. _

"Mom, he's dead, remember? He died three years ago." I watched as her eyes shot open wide and her jaw slackened.

"Oh, oh my, you're right…I'd forgotten. Oh my, I'm sorry, baby. I've left you all alone, haven't I? Oh my oh my oh my." My mom let go of me for a moment to press her hands together in a prayer pose, her religious side coming out. Then I got an idea. A crazy idea, but one all the same. And before I could think about it, it was coming out of my mouth.

"It's okay mom, really. It's fine. I came to talk to you about something else…I-I need some advice." I watched her eye crack open to see me.

"Really? Advice? Me?" I had to push past the wonder in her voice before it took hold of me. I had never been fond of my mother when I was younger, and seeing that she was just _so _out of it, so childish, it was turning into an elephant sitting on my chest.

"Yeah, mom. Advice, you. Boy advice. You see, I've sort of fallen in love with this boy. But I only know half of him." I paused to let her ask a question so she didn't interrupt me.

"He's a superhero, like you?" I nodded.

"Yeah. I only know that side of him. The masked side. He-he isn't allowed to tell me his real name. But I want to know. But I – I just can't ask him, that'd be rude. Not to mention awkward and weird. What do I do, mom?" I didn't really know why I was telling my mom this. I originally was just going to say hi, then hang out by the stage doors, maybe see Dan Radcliffe or Hugh Jackman. But it just felt…_right_ to ask her.

"Ooo, that's a toughie, darling. You want all of him because you know he already has all of you. It's smart of you to start with something small like a name. My advice would probably be to just start with a first name, not even a full one. Try to gradually get him to open up. And I wouldn't expect him to just say it right away. You'll probably have to fight him for every syllable of that other side of his life. But darling, if you really – and I mean _really_ – care about this boy, love him, it'll be worth it." She explained it with a certain passion I had only heard about in stories my father and brother told me. Suddenly, little lines of fire were streaking down my cheeks. Lifting my hand to my face, I realized they were tears. I frantically wiped them away.

"Oh, my baby, my baby girl. Don't cry. I know it must hurt. But don't cry." She reached out, and I let her catch a stray tear with her thumb. Her skin was surprising soft, her touch gentle. I felt the floodgates open in my mind and my emotions poured into my thoughts like a waterfall, pounding them down and getting in the way of everything else.

"I just…he can call me Renee, I've told him everything since I first met him, but he-I don't know the first thing about him! I-I still love him, but it's just so _unfair_!" I choked out. Part of me was mortified that I was now sobbing and complaining and being such a child, but that was pressed aside by my crying. My mother pulled me back into her, pushing her face into my hair.

"Shh, shh. It's okay, I understand. It's going to be okay." She mumbled into my skull. We just stood there on the roof like that for a few minutes while I tried to calm my tears.

"Okay." I muttered as my sobbing finally reduced to sniffling.

"Good, good. Now, keep that chin up, darling. You have to look him in the eye or he won't take you seriously." I knew that was a lie, Robin would take me seriously if I was dressed in a clown suit and speaking in haikus, but I nodded anyway. She didn't need to know that.

A loud round of applause from below us meant that the opening number was finished. My mother squeezed me one last time before letting go and stepping back.

"Now, you best be getting back, darling. Before they start to worry!" She chuckled, making me grin.

"Bye mom. Thanks for the advice." She nodded her head vigorously.

"Anytime, dear. Anytime." I squeezed my eyes shut and focused. Before a second past, I was three miles away, on my way back to Mount Justice.

_Here I come, Robin. _I gave silent warning in my head as I traveled back to my new home, _Be prepared for the fight of your life._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Alrighty, so that's the new chapter! Yay! If you were wondering where I got the Ol' Man and Renee's mother's characteristics from, the Ol' Man came from my head. And watching <strong>_**wayyy**_**too many of my film major neighbor's independent projects. Lolz. Renee's mom's a cross between a character in a movie I watched the other day (it wasn't that great…don't remember the name) and my own grandmother, who has dementia. But I dunno exactly what's wrong with her mom. I just thought it would be an interesting facet to her past.**_

_**In other news, next chapter's gonna be a quick break from RobxOC for some Spitfire because I feel like I've been lacking in that department majorly. I keep hinting at it, then focusing on something else. Lol.**_

_**Word Counts:  
>This Chapter: 1,781<br>Total: 17,407**_

_**Happy Writings,  
>Vid.<strong>_


	15. Chapter 15

_**A/N:**_

_**Wow, I apologize for yet again another absence. I'm not making a habit of it, I swear. But this chapter, this **_**chapter**_**, for one reason or another, just gave me hell. However, six days, every song on my iPod that relates for any reason to a loves song, a "the Addams Family" movie, and an Indiana Jones marathon later: Ta-da!**_

_**I'd also like to take a moment to thank the following people:**_

_**~For following my story: Amber Rose 666, ChocolateBlond, HibariLover, Jade Riddle 19, JohnCenaWWEGirl, Princesskitsune17, the voiceless hyena  
>~For putting my story on story alert: DarthZ, knightmare1986, Meggi04, Onee, Shi Kage, sunnydayz56, togo65<br>~For doing both of the above: JewelOfTheSea101, Ravenclaw Slytherin  
>~And a special thanks to knightmare1986 for being my constant reviewer and giving me some great feedback.<strong>_

_**You guys are the bestest. Now, on with the show!**_

* * *

><p><span>Nightshadow: Chapter 15:<span>  
>~Kid Flash's POV~<p>

I dunno how or necessarily why, but after Rob told me about him and Renee, a fire started burning in the pit of my stomach. It's name? Artemis.

Sure, the girl hated me most of the time, but I was going to do it. If the mysterious kid I call my best friend could get the girl, then so could I.

"Dude, are you alright? You're like…I dunno…_turbed_ all of a sudden. That _is_ the opposite of disturbed, right?" I stopped dragging Robin toward the kitchen and spun on my heel to face him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. More than fine, actually." I grinned at him and began to walk again. A surprisingly strong hand gripped my arm.

"_Wally. _This is about Artemis, isn't it? Dude, do _not _talk to her like this. You're freaking me out. Imagine how _she_'d react." Even with the mask, I could tell Robin was staring me down. It was kind of unnerving. But I didn't care.

_The Boy Wonder does have a point, Wally._ My subconscious piped up from the recesses of my mind. _Shut up._ I snapped back at it. Wait, why was I having a conversation with _myself_ in my mind? Maybe I was a little crazy. But something, _something_ in particular had made so excited. It was the look on Robin's face when he told me that she said "I love you too". It made me want – and I mean really, really _want_ – to have that happen to me, too.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll calm down, okay? I just…something feels _right._" That wasn't a lie. Something _did _feel right. I just wasn't sure why, or what I was supposed to do with it.

"Okay, Wally. But still…just, calm down before you talk to Artemis, or she'll shut you out." Robin let go of my arm and raised his hand in farewell.

"Wait a sec, Rob, where're you goin'?" I stammered. I didn't know why, but I had always imagined the small boy there, as a sort of wing man (no pun intended). The fact that he was leaving me to my own devices, it put a shock through my system that calmed me down from my "buzz" of sorts instantly. Now, I could handle things on my own. No, I didn't really _need _Robin there; I had asked girls out before. But Artemis was…_different_. With Artemis, I had no idea what to do. What to say.

"Don't worry, KF. You'll know exactly what to do, once you start talking." Batman's protégé said in parting, as if he read my mind. I watched him casually stroll to the Zeta tubes, where he disappeared in a flash of light to who know where. _Probably the Bat Cave. _I reminded myself. He did, after all, have to speak with Batman. _Bats will never agree._ I thought to myself, but I couldn't bring myself to accept it. Robin was the happiest I had ever seen him since Renee returned, and I wanted my best friend to stay that way.

"Hey Baywatch. Why're you just standing there?" Artemis' scratchy voice asked from beside me, making me jump.

"Oh, uh, hey Artemis…just thinkin', you know." I shrugged as nonchalantly as I could. Glancing around, I saw that there was no one else in the hallway. Nor the kitchen or living room, for that matter. They were all still training. _This is your chance, Wally. Do it before someone turns up and you turn into a dumbass._ I shuffled my feet and cleared my throat.

"Cat got your tongue?" She asked, not trying to hide the mocking tone in her voice. I gulped.

"No, I…I was just…" I trailed off, shuffling my feet some more.

"My god, Wally! Just spit it out!" The archer snapped, but her tone wasn't angry, like I had expected. It was more…amused. I silently cursed my tongue for deciding not to work.

"Sorry. I was just trying ta-to ask you, if you wanted to go see a movie tonight. I heard there's some pretty good ones playing. Or we could see a bad one and make fun of it the entire time." I spoke painstakingly slow so I didn't trip over my words. Looking up, I was surprised to see Artemis' dark eyes gazing directly into mine, a soft smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"What?" I asked, incredulous of her seemingly accepting expression.

"Nothing, Wally. It's just kinda funny, how I was just talking to Megan about you the other day, and voilá! Here you are. It's like you knew all along." She smiled at me again.

"So…is that a yes, then?" I felt my mouth stretch into a smile. A familiar glint shone in Artemis' beautiful chocolate eyes.

"Only if we get something to eat beforehand, Baywatch. I hate how expensive movie theater food is. And you're paying." She smirked at me, and something stirred in my chest.

"I wouldn't have it any other way. Meet you at the Zeta-tubes in a half-hour, 'kay, Arty?" And before she had a chance to hit me for calling her Arty, I had sped away to my room to change into civvies.

* * *

><p>I had to admit, everything went perfectly.<p>

We wound up going to Central City, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and then saw one of the dumbest movies I had ever seen. But I didn't complain because she had gotten really into it. So into it, in fact, that she didn't even notice when I draped my arm across her shoulders. Either that or she didn't care. She was even leaning into me by the time the movie – whatever it was called – ended. Then we had gone back to the old "out of service" phone booth, one of many that littered the country that were really Zeta tubes. Artemis left using it, saying she had to go back to Mount Justice to get something before going home. I didn't question her, 'cause before I could, she had placed a quick kiss on my lips and disappeared. Feeling lighter than air, I sped home.

"Robin. C'mon, man. Answer your phone!" I said a mere 20 seconds later as I paced my room. I had run past Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris with a muttered 'hello' before pulling out my phone and dialing the Boy Wonder's number. I was just about convinced that the phone would never stop ringing when Rob answered.

"A little busy, KF. Can this wait?" His voice sounded strained, like he was in the middle of training or something.

"Sorry, but no. She kissed me, Rob! She actually _kissed _me!" My words spilled out of my mouth and into the receiver impossibly fast, and I was about to repeat it – slower this time – when Robin responded.

"Totally aster, Wally! I'm guessing the rest of the date went well, too, then?" I heard Robin's signature cackle down the line at his own joke and my lack of telling him anything but what he assumed I had dubbed as the 'important part'. Which, of course, I had.

"Yeah, yeah, of course it did. Why would it go badly and then she kiss me?" It was more of a statement than a question. I decided not to tell Robin how quick the kiss had actually been, how briefly her full lips met my thin ones. He would probably have probably laughed at me for it.

"Alright, well, if you want to gossip, KF, it can wait for tomorrow. I gotta go. G'night." The line went dead with a click. I let the dial tone draw out for a moment before pressing the 'end call' button myself. Flopping onto my bed, my head landed with a dull thud onto my pillow. Staring up at the white ceiling, I found myself falling asleep before I had even realized I was doing so. But I let the sleep come, content with the pleasant turn of events.

_Rob's got his girl, and now I've got mine._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Woo! Another chapter, completed. 15 already. My, my what an achievement.<strong>_

_**My Tumblr is vid-silverbane.**_

_**Word Counts:  
>This Chapter: 1,415<br>Total: 18,822**_

_**Happy Writings,  
>Vid.<strong>_


	16. Chapter 16

_**A/N:**_

_**Woo! Chapter 16! Ahahaha. **_

_**In other news, I've decided, in addition to Nightshadow and my random anonymous beta-ing, that I may or may not start another project. It's been bouncing around in my brain for a while now, and I know that I can handle it. But the thing is, I'm not quite sure what fandom/what it should be about. So if you have any idears, lemme know, kay? I promise if I take your suggestion I'll give you credit!**_

_**EDIT: this other project is an XME fic called Powers of Animation.**_

* * *

><p><span>Nightshadow: Chapter 16:<span>  
>~Renee's POV~<p>

It had been two days since Robin and I kissed. Two days since I talked to my mother and Ol' Man. Two days since I made my silent vow to get Robin to open up. Two days of witty banter, secret hand-holding, and quick kisses.

Two days and I hadn't done a single thing my mother told me to.

I sat on my violet-colored sheets and let my head hang. I felt like I had let her down, somehow. By not taking action right away. I knew that it made no sense to think like that, but I couldn't help it. Who was I, a thirteen-year-old girl living a double life to practically ask the Dark Knight to let his protégé break his number one rule?

But I had to. I _needed _to. It was tearing at my soul. Slowly, painfully ripping at it with razor-sharp talons every time he said my name. I was killing me, metaphorically. Physically, I was fine. No one took notice of my silent suffering. Not even Robin seemed to let on that he knew something was wrong. And he was _trained _to figure out people and what they're feeling just by _looking _at them.

A rustle of fabric made my head snap up. Scanning around my room, however, there seemed to be nothing misplaced. Pink laptop sitting on the mahogany desk, dresser with the obnoxiously large mirror hanging above it that I had to stand on tip-toes to see myself in, papers and textbooks strewn about the floor, purple curtains drawn on the single window. But then I heard it again. It was soft, but it was there. I turned to my bamboo plant on my nightstand.

"What could that be, Herman?" I asked it. Yes, I had a plant. Yes, I named it Herman. No, you aren't permitted to mock.

"I'm surprised you didn't look up." I instantly craned my neck to see who was there, although the pitch gave it away. Robin smiled down at me.

"Hi there." I stated as he dropped gracefully onto the floor in front of me.

"Hey." He responded, but I could tell his mind was elsewhere. I let him stare at the floor uncertainly for a moment before speaking again.

"What's up?" I tried to sound as light hearted as I could, but inside my stomach was churning. _What's the point in trying to cover it up? He can see right through you, Renee. He's just been waiting for the right time to bring it up._ My subconscious quipped. I pushed it down. I didn't need any of its not-so-helpful input.

"What's up with _you_? You've been acting kind of…well, distraught. Heavy on the _dis_. Is everything okay, Renee?" At the sound of my name, I winced involuntarily. _Dammit. Dammit, dammit, dammit! You just blew any chance of avoiding this conversation, dumbass. _I mentally scolded myself.

"_That_. That right there. Why'd you flinch when I said your name?" I looked down slightly at Robin for the first time since he came down from his perch on the ceiling. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of me, in civvies. He wore an open black jacket covered a red pullover sweatshirt, dark jeans and what looked like black converse. The outfit wasn't complete, of course, without his black sunglasses to mask his eyes.

"Because…" I trailed off, trying to find the right words. The Boy Wonder opened his mouth to fill my sentence, but I hastily cut him off before he could speak.

"Because you get to call me Renee. You get to know all about me, my past, my entire _life. _You know it inside and out, better than most. Better than my own family did, most likely." I felt all the bottled up anger slowly seep out of its container and fill my brain. I found myself standing up and folding my arms across my chest.

"But what do I know of _you? _Nothing. Nothing at all. That's the problem. You get to know every _damn _little thing about me, but I don't even get to know what color your eyes are or your first frickin' _name, _let alone your life story. I _deserve _to know, Robin – or whoever you are. I love you – or at least what I know of you – with all my heart, but I deserve to love _all _of you." Suddenly my vision was watery. With a jolt, I realized that I had not only started tearing up, but I had been yelling, as well. Blinking back the tears, looked down at Robin's ridged form.

"But I feel like – like I'm not _allowed._ Like you don't even _want _me to know. You said once, that Batman didn't want you to reveal your identity. But I'm beginning to think…that…that it's not Batman stopping you, it's that you don't _want _me to know. You're scared because you don't want your precious identity to be possibly compromised by me knowing _all _of you."

At this point, Robin had stood up, and I was staring straight into those dark glasses. I didn't even know if what I was saying was making sense anymore. I was just spilling it all out, shouting at him all my pent-up anger that had begun to gather that first day when he said that he couldn't tell me his name. Anything that my subconscious pushed into my mind was tumbling out of my mouth. I opened it to continue, but found that I couldn't speak anymore, due to being dangerously close to tears. I expected him to cackle, or get angry, or storm out. But he did none of that. In fact, he looked more sad than anything. His shoulders drooped in a very un-Robin-like way, and I could've sworn in court that there was a single, glistening tear track down his cheek. I immediately felt guilty, I hadn't meant to shout or accuse him of anything. But it just…happened that way. _No turning back now. _I braced myself for whatever Robin was going to say, secretly hoping for him to come back with an angry retort. Because the other option was something sad, like 'we can't be together then' or 'Then you don't really love me'. Because a sad response would let those razor-sharp talons rip into that last sliver of my soul. And I was scared to find out what would happen to me, mentally, after that happened.

But Robin didn't do any of those things. He stood there, facing me. He slowly lifted his arm, and before I could register what he was doing, he had pulled his sunglasses off of his face.

And my vision was filled with the most gorgeous – and shockingly familiar – blue eyes I had ever seen.

* * *

><p><em><strong>So, there it is. Yeah, I decided to stop here because I wanted to switch POVs. Ooo, cliffie! Pretty obvious (in my opinion), though. So it's a sorry excuse for a cliffie.<br>**_

_**Word Counts:  
>This Chapter: 1,131<br>Total: 19,953**_

_**Happy Writings,**_  
><em><strong>Vid.<strong>_


	17. Chapter 17

_**A/N:**_

_**So, I gave myself, in my opinion, a majorly daunting task: throughout this entire chapter, there is a continuous flashback to Robin's talk with Bats after he left Wally to go talk to Artemis. The flashbacks are pointed out in my usual fashion. I am happy to say, I completed said task successfully. Enjoy.**_

* * *

><p><span>Nightshadow: Chapter 17:<span>  
>~Robin's POV~<p>

I watched her jaw slacken slightly as I pulled off my glasses. I looked into her eyes – today they were the same violet color as her bedspread – and I saw that she recognized me. I expected her to react immediately to Dick Grayson's status in Gotham (and the world), but she didn't. Instead she just looked at me, all the tears gone from her eyes, and took a minute to let it sink in. My subconscious reminded me this was a bad idea:

"**I don't care, Dick. You can't just hand her your life story. It doesn't work like that. She wouldn't understand." Batman said as he pulled down his cowl. I stood there defiantly, my arms folded across my chest. **

"**But she **_**would**_**. I know she would. I **_**love**_** her, Bruce. **_**In **_**love with her, if that's any different from what I've already said. I know she would understand. She's smarter than what you give her credit for." We subsequently held a staring contest. Bruce won, but only because I had started staring before he did.**

"**How would she understand, Dick?"**

"So…you're…" Renee held my look, but I could tell she had to concentrate not to look away. So I broke my hold on her gaze and rubbed the back of my neck self-consciously.

"Richard Grayson. Commonly known as Dick Grayson." I supplied.

"Does that…does that mean that…?" She let the question hang in the air between us. A quick assessment of her body language told me that she was mostly happy and relieved, but part of her was scared. _She's probably afraid to say that Batman's Bruce Wayne._

"Yes, it does. But I'd rather we not talk about that without his permission." I tried to sound nonchalant, but the words had a mind of their own.

"**She just **_**would**_**, Bruce. I would explain to her what she can and can't say and do and if you're worried about your own identity I'll make sure that the topic of that is squelched. It will be **_**totally**_** aster." My mentor and adoptive father's face still wore a look of skepticism. **

"**And what happens if she lets it slip, and everyone on your team knows? Not all of them are as supposedly tight-lipped as Nightshadow." Bruce made a valid point in his usual monotone manner.**

"_**Renee**_** wouldn't do that. And they're my **_**team**_**, Bruce. The original members of the Justice League know who you are, so why shouldn't Young Justice know who I am?" I was getting angry. **_**Bruce can't win this one, Dick. Renee needs to know. She **_**deserves**_** to know.**_

"Batman doesn't _know _you're doing this? Oh my god, I didn't- I never meant- to defy- my god, I-" I cut Renee's half-formed sentences short.

"Oh, he knows. He's not too happy, and there are quite a few Terms and Conditions. The whole conversation was whelming." I was met with a questioning tilt of the head. Grabbing Renee's hands in mine, I smiled at her. A real, genuine smile. The kind that reaches a person's eyes. It made her blush.

"But-but how?" Her voice had dropped to a whisper so soft I had to strain to hear her, even when she was standing right there. It was then when I realized how similar Renee's argument had been to the one I had made to Batman.

"**One step at a time, Dick. You know that it's dangerous for others to know your identity." Bruce's gravelly voice took on a fatherly tone I hadn't heard in a while.**

"**No, it isn't dangerous for **_**them.**_** Well, maybe a little. But it's more dangerous for **_**us.**_** It's kinda selfish of me to know everything about everyone and expect them to be okay with knowing nothing about me." I snapped back, not in the mood for his attempts to stop the conversation.**

"**It is **_**very **_**dangerous for us. It's dangerous for anyone to reveal their identity." **

"**But they do it all the time, and they're fine! Why are we any different, huh? What makes us so damn special?" I knew I was pressing buttons, but in the end, I knew it was worth it.**

"**You are **_**not **_**telling Renee **_**anything**_** and that is final!" Bruce roared before beginning to stalk off. Before he got to the elevator, however, I got a really dumbass idea. But I used it anyway.**

"**Then I quit! I'll become my own hero, so I can do whatever I want! I won't be Robin anymore!" I yelled at his back, ripping off my mask as I did so. Bruce spun on his heel to face me.**

"**You wouldn't." His tone sounded dangerous, but his eyes betrayed them. They were fearful. Very, **_**very **_**fearful.**

"**Wanna bet?" I responded, using his fear to my advantage. **

"**Fine. Do whatever you want, Dick. Just leave, if you want to. But leave me out of whatever it is you decide." Uh-oh. That wasn't the response I was hoping for.**

"**What if…what if I forbid her to ask about you? She just wants to know **_**me**_**, we can keep you out of it. I don't want to go, Bruce. I just want to tell her. I want to be able to tell her I love her, no matter if I'm Robin or Dick Grayson." I hung my head. I felt weak by admitting it all, but I had already pulled all the other tricks out of my sleeves.**

"It took a while. It's a long story, and most of it is me and Batman going at it. And even now, so far you only get a name, an appearance, and anything that happened prior to Dick Grayson meeting Batman. I hope that's enough." I answered her question and held my breath, waiting for her to react. I was half expecting her to get angry or upset again, but was pleasantly surprised when instead, she threw her arms around my neck and buried her face into my chest.

"It's more than enough, Ro- I mean, Dick. Thank you. I can't imagine how much shit Batman put you through." She said into my shirt. I wrapped my arms around her torso and rested my chin on top of her head. My heart fluttered a little at the sound of my name coming from her lips. Even with a mouthful of cotton shirt, it sounded so much…so much _better_ when she said it.

"Don't worry; it's nothing I couldn't handle." I reassured her, when really my subconscious was reminding me just how long it took. Two days.

"**Yeah, well, that isn't going to cut it, Richard. She would still **_**know. **_**And knowing is enough for people to kill people." **

"**Woah, woah, woah. When did we start talking about killing people, Bruce? That's a little whelming for this conversation." I held my hands up in a gesture commonly associated with 'I come in peace'. **

"**That's what you're risking, kid. You're risking her life. If any of our enemies finds out she knows who you are, they'll kidnap her – possibly kill her – just to get that information. Because through you, they know they can get to me." Bruce explained it coolly, but again I could hear the chalant in his voice. **

"**She knows that. And I'll remind her, in case she doesn't remember. She wouldn't care. She'd be willing to risk it." **

"**I understand that. I understand where you're coming from, Dick. But are **_**you**_** willing to risk **_**her **_**life?" Batman asked dubiously. That's where I faltered. **_**Was**_** I willing to risk her life just to tell her my name? **_**Was **_**it worth it? My brain was analyzing every aspect and possible scenario that came with this new question. And it was pretty gruesome. But my heart was screaming at me that it was worth it. That if I loved her, I wouldn't have to analyze anything. And then my brain realized my heart was right.**

"**Yeah. It's a risk, Bruce. But it's worth it. I love her. She loves me. We're heroes, risks come with the occupation." Nodding with my response, Bruce then went into a lengthy description of what I could and couldn't say and what Renee could and couldn't do or say. **

Two days. Two days of fighting with the man I thought of as my father. Two days of anger and frustration. Two days of desperately hiding my emotions towards Bruce Wayne from Renee.

Two days, and I finally won.

For once, I won against the mighty Batman. I got the girl. And she now has (almost) all of me. I began to explain what Batman explained to me: how she couldn't ask about Batman, she couldn't call me Dick unless we were without a doubt alone and out of earshot from the team, how Nightshadow couldn't visit Dick and vice-versa. All that jazz. Then I told her I made her a list so she wouldn't forget, and she laughed at that. And for the first time in my life since I met Bruce Wayne, I knew that everything was going to be okay.

Until, of course, Red Tornado had to ruin it with the damn alert sirens going off.

* * *

><p><em><strong>So, yay yay yay! Chapter 17 is up! And I know, Batman giving in is AUOC/whatever you wanna call it. But in my mind, this was how it would go down. Cause we all know there's gotta be a lot of women in Bruce's past that he's wound up having that argument with himself over.**_

_**In other news:**_  
><em><strong>I am working on a new story! Yay! I dunno if anyone watchedwatches X-Men: Evolution, but I adore it, and so I've decided to start a story there. I'm halfway through chapter one, so if you're and Evo fan, look out for it!**_

_**Word Counts:**_  
><em><strong>This Chapter: 1,528<strong>_  
><em><strong>Total: 21,481<strong>_

_**_Happy Writings,_  
>Vid<strong>_


	18. Chapter 18

Nightshadow: Chapter 18:  
>~Robin's POV~<p>

I grabbed Renee's hand and sprinted out of the room so fast that it would've made Wally jealous. We made a pit stop at my room, in which I broke the record for costume-changing (Renee was still in hers), and then headed towards the zeta tubes.

"What the _hell _is going on?" Renee shouted at me over the noise. _Shit. Forgot she's never heard Tornado's alert._

"Uhm, well, its Red Tornado's alert siren. It means something bad's going down and we have to get there right away." I gave her the simple version. I wasn't lying. I was just not giving her the whole truth. I didn't want to tell her that it also could mean that someone unauthorized has entered Mount Justice, like my first thought had been: Clockwork.

If Clockwork was _here,_ everything was going to go to hell.

"What's going on, Tornado?" I asked as we ran into the clear area by the zeta tubes. I was surprised at the calmness of my own voice. _Bats would be proud._ I thought, then quickly put my sunglasses back on as everyone else joined us. I dropped Renee's hand in fear of her getting angry at me later for letting everyone know that we were…_What exactly _are_ we? _I decided to ask her about it later.

"There's been a breach of security at a small prison on the outskirts of Gotham. We believe it is the work of Clockwork." Tornado's mechanical voice spoke my fears. _At least Clockwork isn't at Mount Justice._ Part of me piped up. The thought was pushed aside, however. This was just as bad.

"Ho-how do you know it's Clockwork?" Renee inquired in a much stronger voice than I had thought she would use. She gave me a sidelong glance, and I saw the hidden fear in those violet eyes. I threw all my "I'll-ask-her-later" thoughts out the window and entwined my fingers with hers. I gave her small hand a quick squeeze of reassurance, then was about to pull away again when she squeezed my hand back. I kept my hand where it was.

"Because this particular prison is where some of his stronger henchmen were put after they were caught." Tornado replied in monotone, as usual. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Wally give me a quizzical look. I mirrored the image. _Who rounded up Clockwork's…oh. Duh._ Batman. Of course he would've done that, on his own, without telling me.

I looked back over at Wally to silently tell him "Batman", but stopped. He and Artemis were…well, they were holding hands.

"Look at Wally and Artemis…discreetly." I whispered into Renee's ear. She gave them a sidelong glance, and then began battling with laughter. I smiled. _Good. Don't think so much about Clockwork._ I knew that Renee's worry would be eating away at her insides at just the mere mention of his name. The fact that we were now probably going to have to fight him…I couldn't imagine it. It hurt too much.

"Your job is to follow any and all escapees that could be associated with Clockwork and recapture them. Do you understand?" I cocked my head left slightly. _Why would Tornado want us to go after the escapees, not Clockwork himself?_ I lingered on that question for a moment, then decided that Batman had some kind of plan to take down Clockwork himself and dismissed it.

I switched my glasses for my mask – careful to keep my eyes closed, of course – and looked to Kaldur to say the word.

_Good thing everyone's still in uniform from Canary's training, or going would've taken much longer._ I couldn't help but ponder on the idea that Canary knew all along and that's why the training took longer than usual. But then I realized I was being irrational and focused instead on the mission at hand.

"Well, team, let's go." Aqualad said in an authoritative tone, and we all took off towards the bio-ship.

"Wait!" Tornado called, and we all stopped in our tracks. I could see the confusion on everyone's faces. _Why is Tornado stopping us?_ They all seemed to silently ask.

"What is it, Red Tornado?" Kaldur said after the team had recovered from their momentary confusion.

"The League and I decided that you may need some help." Tornado said simply, which brought more confusion to the team.

"_Does anyone know what Tornado's talking about?" _M'gann asked, mentally linking us up. I was about to answer with a resounding 'no' when the zeta-tubes gave off a flash of golden light.

"Speedy, B06." Spoke the computerized voice, and then Roy was there, complaining about how they still haven't changed it to 'Red Arrow' yet. The team surged towards him, all talking at once, wanting to know why he came to help. Renee, seizing the opportunity, gave me a quick peck on the cheek before going to introduce herself.

Then, almost fatefully, there was another flash of light and the voice announced: "Zatanna, A03". Artemis and M'gann practically squealed with excitement at Zatanna's arrival, and dragged Renee over to meet her.

Zatanna caught my gaze. She waved and gave me a small, subtly flirtatious smile.

Shit.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:**_

_**First, I would like to thank knightmare1986 a million bazillion times over for giving me the simply brilliant idea of bringing in Zatanna. Thank you, thank you, thank you! **_

_**Additionally, I would like to apologize for the shortness of this chapter. I was going to make it an uber-long chapter with chasing after bad guys and stuff, but when I was reading over what I had so far, I realized that it right here was a natural stopping point, and it felt weird reading it and what I have of the next chapter as one continuous chapter. So, yeah. **_

_**Word Counts:  
>This Chapter: 868 (told you it was short)<br>Total: 22,349**_

_**Happy Writings,  
>Vid.<strong>_


	19. Chapter 19

_**A/N:**_

_**Hello again! Thanks everyone for all the reviews! Makes me happy! :D Yay for happy Vid! . Anyway, here's chapter 19 (oh my god, 19 already!)**_

* * *

><p><span>Nightshadow: Chapter 19:<span>  
>~Renee's POV~<p>

"_Zatanna, A03"_ The computerized woman's voice was barely audible above the Young Justice guys greeting Speedy, of whom I was told had changed his name to Red Arrow.

"Zatanna!" M'gann squealed from next to me, practically blowing out my eardrum. I rubbed at it with the heel of my hand as Artemis and M'gann dragged me over to where she was standing. I watched as Zatanna waved, but it wasn't towards us. Looking over, I saw that she was waving at Robin. He was standing there, eyes practically popping out of their sockets. _What's up with him?_ I thought to myself, then shrugged it off. Sure, part of my subconscious was analyzing this new observation to death, but most of me was just happy that I wasn't alone this time, if we happened upon Clockwork himself.

_That's probably why they want us going after the escapees. At the rate we're going, one of our chases will lead us right to the bastard. _My heart filled with dread.

_Don't do that, Renee. Don't let him get to you; don't let him in your head. _I scolded myself as Zatanna introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Zatanna. Zatanna Zatara." She said, holding out one gloved hand for me to shake. I turned my attention back to her and took it.

"Nightshadow. Or Renee Knight. Either one works fine, I suppose." I replied, and she gave a little laugh. I studied her carefully. She was a very, _very _pretty girl. The insecure-teenage-girl part of me couldn't help but point out that she was prettier than me.

_Oh, be quiet. Who gives a shit if she has model-good looks? _I snapped at that particular part of me. Then I realized I was having an argument with myself in my head as if I was more than one person. _Awkward…_

"Alright, team. Let us go. We have to find these guys quickly." Kaldur spoke up from behind me, interrupting all conversations _and_ my thoughts.

We all followed Kaldur to the hanger and piled into the bio-ship. I looked for Robin, but then Wally started asking me a million questions about Clockwork's goons and what they can do. A flash of ebony caught my eye, and I followed it to see that Robin was talking a little ways away to Zatanna. A pang of jealousy deep in my stomach made me look away. _Why the hell are you jealous? He's known Zatanna longer than you have, no doubt. They're just friends._

That's what worried me.

Zatanna knew Robin before she knew me. I had no idea what her thoughts on him were. The rest of the team had seen how long Robin and I knew each other from day one of me joining Young Justice, but Zatanna didn't know about any of that. For all I knew, she thought that I was just a new face to the team.

I shook my head violently to get those thoughts out. I was just overreacting.

"You okay?" A male voice asked from right next to me. I jerked my head around. Red Arrow was looking down at me with a most unusual mixture of curiosity and concern etched across his face.

"Uh, what? Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Why d'you ask?" I responded quickly, running a hand through my hair as I did so.

"Just wondering. I'm Roy, by the way. Didn't get to properly introduce myself after you were dragged away by Artemis and Miss Martian." He said with a chuckle, making me laugh too.

"Renee. Or Nightshadow. It's really awkward saying two different names, sorry." I found myself apologizing for no reason. This made Roy laugh again.

"No harm, no foul. Kid Flash tells me that you're an old friend of Robin's." I cocked my head to one side. _So that's why he's talking to me._ I thought ruefully, _To talk about Rob._

"Yeah, I am. We go back to practically the beginning. Why?" I kept my answer short and to the point, trying to inform him without actually _telling_ him that I wouldn't be talking about Robin with him.

"Just curious, that's all." He responded a touch coldly. He had gotten my silent message. He turned away just as Robin and Zatanna walked onto the bio-ship and sat down.

"Everyone ready?" M'gann asked. There was a chorus of "yes" and then we were off the ground, flying to the location Red Tornado had given us.

"We should split into groups." Zatanna spoke up after a few moments of silence. I looked over at Robin and we exchanged a silent conversation:

My eyebrows went up: _Who does this girl think she is?_

Robin's head tilted to the left: _She has a point, though. It would be easier to catch them all. Isn't there like, ten or so?_

I shrugged my shoulders, then pursed my lips together: _I dunno how many there are. But I still don't like how she's talking like she's the leader._

Robin shrugged back: _Just let it go. It's okay; she's not normally a part of the team. Just not used to it, I suppose. _

"I think that would be best." Roy unintentionally interrupted our silent exchange. Kaldur and Artemis were nodding in agreement.

"I believe that would be a good idea, as well. How many teams should we have?" Kaldur asked, to my dismay, Zatanna for a response.

_Why don't you like her? She's a nice enough girl._ I asked myself. And truthfully, I didn't have an answer. Something about her just seemed to rub me the wrong way.

"I think that teams of two would be adequate." She responded. I was already shaking my head. There were an odd number of us, and I knew that Clockwork had trained his little minions to never run away in groups. Plus, it was just common sense to scatter. If they scattered, a single person or even a small group wouldn't be able to catch them all, and at least one would make it to safety to tell the tale.

"There's an odd number, Zatanna." Robin pointed out. I smirked at the flaw in her plan.

"Then one of us can either stay behind, or we can have a group of three. Anything bigger than threes would be too big of a group. Plus, twos are logical since they're probably scattering in all different directions." My smirk changed into a scowl. She was making a good point. I watched silently as everyone else started joining in and taking sides of what was less of an argument and more a discussion. Then I saw something that made my heart sink.

Zatanna was giving Robin _looks_ when she thought no one was looking.

_Damn that girl. Damn her to hell. _I imagined myself shooting lasers from my eyes and destroying her with them. It was a catty and jealous thought, but I thought it was well justified. After all, _Robin_ wasn't doing _anything_ to stop her. I felt the green dragon in my chest rear its ugly head. The rational part of me tried to push it aside, but it spread like an infection.

_Bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch._ I thought as she gave Robin a flirtatious smile in what she thought was a subtle manner.

"Well _I_ think it's a _fabulous_ idea." I let the flatter drip from my words like poison. No one seemed to notice, with the exception of Robin, who let his eyes grow wide behind his mask.

"Great! If Nightshadow thinks so, then it's settled. But now the question is, how are we going to divide up the teams?" Zatanna tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and looked at Robin. My vision started to go red.

_The bad guys can sense your feelings. If you're angry or jealous or upset, they'll use that to their advantage. _A voice said in my head. But it wasn't my own. Nor was it any of my teammates. With a jolt, I realized that my rage had brought my brother's voice into my head.

_What the hell am I supposed to do, Logan? Just let her take him away from me?_ I asked him. I knew he wasn't really there, but a strangely comforting feeling washed over me when my conscience took on the brotherly tones that Logan used to use when I was little.

_You can go ahead and threaten her from here to oblivion if it makes you feel better, but he wouldn't leave you. Just look at him._ I did what my conscience/Logan said. The Boy Wonder was facing Roy, who was speaking, but he kept giving me concerned glances, like he was worried I was angry at _him_. In fact, he would look at anyone who spoke – except Zatanna.

_Oh. _I felt the jealousy and anger leave as the embarrassment rushed in. _Duh. I'm stupid. _Logan's voice _tsk_ed in my head.

_No. Just in love, sis. Just listen to your heart, kiddo. Contrary to popular belief, it _does_ know what's right and what you are over-analyzing. Again. _Logan's voice faded as my conscience became my own once again.

_Thanks, bro._ I couldn't help but think with a twinge of sadness as I tuned back into the conversation unfolding in front of me, choosing to pointedly ignore any and all looks Zatanna was giving Robin.

"I think that Robin and I should be one of the teams." Zatanna was saying, and it took all the strength I could muster not to just chew her out right then and there.

"Actually, it would make more sense for 'Shadow to go with Robin." KF responded. I cringed a little at the butchering of my name. _Oh, suck it up Renee. Nightshadow is a long name. It makes sense to shorten it in casual conversation. It could be a worse name. He could have called you Night. That would've just been dumb._

"Then who would I be with?" Zatanna shot back, her opposition to Wally's suggestion quite clear in her voice.

"You would go with Sp-I mean, Red Arrow and Aqualad. Then Miss Martian and Superboy would be a team, and Artemis and I would be one." Wally replied in the same angry tone Zatanna used. I smirked a little as Artemis covertly put one slender hand on Wally's to calm him down. Her effect was instantaneous. _So _totally_ together. _I logged the information into my memory banks, and then cleared my throat. Everyone's head whipped around to face me.

"Kid Flash is right. That would be the most logical course of action. Clockwork trains his minions well. Those groupings would work the best against them. Plus, if worst comes to worst, every team has someone that could either get their team out of their fast, or put up some sort of defense to shield that particular team from our targets." I saw both Robin's ebony head and Wally's ginger one nodding out of the corner of my eye, but my focus was on Zatanna. She blinked a few times, and then nodded slowly.

_Score one for Renee._ I thought smugly as we touched ground. I ported out of the bio-ship and started searching for any clue of the direction the henchmen had gone.

"_What the hell was _that_?" _Roy asked via mental link-up, making me jump slightly. I had forgotten that M'gann had linked us up.

"_I teleport."_ I responded simply.

"_You get used to it."_ Robin added nonchalantly.

"_You co-"_

"_Hey, look at this."_ Artemis spoke up, interrupting Red Arrow's response. I teleported over to where she was standing. There, in the grass at her feet, was Clockwork's signature watch. My stomach flipped unpleasantly. I picked it up slowly, turning it over in my hands. There, just as I had feared, was an inscription. I read it carefully to myself. Artemis gasped – she had been reading it over my shoulder.

"What does it say?" Zatanna inquired impatiently from my left. I swallowed the bile that was rising in my throat.

"It-it's a note. A poem, really." I said in the strongest voice I could muster.

"But what does it _say_?" Roy snapped. I could tell that he was beginning to think that I was weak, but at that point, I didn't give a damn what he thought. I swallowed again before speaking:

""One, two, three, four.  
>Think that's all? Well there's more.<br>Five, six, seven eight.  
>Who do we think is really great?<br>Me, me! That makes nine.  
>Child, you don't have much time.<br>Nine of us and nine of you,  
>Why don't you meet us at a zoo?<br>If personal is what it takes,  
>Then what a treat your <em>mommy <em>makes.

I look forward to us meeting again,  
><em>Nightshadow<em>, your reign of heroism is at an end.  
>Oh, dear. That didn't even rhyme.<br>Love, Clockwork, Master of Time.""

My hands started to shake and the world started to spin around me. I closed my eyes in an effort to calm down. I felt the cold metal leave my hand as someone – probably Artemis, she was closest when my eyes were open – guided me to something and made me sit. I clenched my fists, making my fingernails dig painfully into the palms of my hands. I noticed there was a buzzing in my head, and tried to drive it out, until I realized it was the others having a mental conversation.

"Renee." My eyes snapped open at the sound of my name. I discovered I was sitting on a rather uncomfortable rock, and Robin was squatting in front of me, trying to unclench my hands before I drew blood. I let them open, and he looked up at me in surprise.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, "I lost my cool." The Boy Wonder shook his head slightly.

"You were as strong as anyone would expect you to be. It's okay. The guy's disturbed. We'll find him. We'll lock up the bastard for eternity. We'll save your mother." He assured me of all these things with a fierceness that I hadn't heard in his voice in a very, _very _long time. In fact, I couldn't remember at all when it was or what was said or why. Just that he was _extremely_ determined and wound up putting whatever villain they were pursuing in the hospital. The more I thought about it, the more I became convinced that whoever it was had kidnapped Batman. I smirked mentally at the thought of Clockwork in a full-body cast courtesy of Robin. I realized he was looking at me expectantly while I was lost in my own memories. I nodded to show him I understood.

"But Renee, we need your help to find him. You need to be traught for us to find her in time." He said quietly, and I nodded again.

"Well, obviously, he only broke out his strongest henchmen, and only enough so that we would have to go one-on-one. He's targeting me, making it personal because I left him to die. He's getting cockier; he never signed one of his little notes with 'Master of Time' before. Then again, it might have just been to rhyme the poem. It's all pretty straightforward, so he's looking for an endgame to come quickly. He doesn't want to wait three days for us to figure out some sort of complex whatever. Something's pushing him to finish what he started – and quickly. The question is, what? Or who?" I just started talking and began to analyze Clockwork's note out loud without even registering that anyone but Robin could hear me.

"Why don't you tell us, since _you're_ the one that he wants." Zatanna said coldly. _You're not doing anything to redeem yourself for flirting with Robin._ I thought to myself before opening my mouth to respond.

"It's a rhetorical question, Zatanna. Let her think." Robin said, beating me to it. I flashed him a grateful smile.

"And why _me?_ I mean, the obvious reason is because I left him to die. But he was targeting Logan before that – calling him out as soon as we began helping Batman out by joining the original chase. It had to have been personal from the beginning. He didn't die when I thought he did, there was even a corpse. He could've been a free man. But he decides to come out and go after me again. Why? _Why?_" I continued to use Robin as a sort-of sounding board, trying to sort everything out aloud. He was, after all, the world's greatest detective, so if I couldn't figure it out, he certain would have.

"And why meet at a zoo? A _zoo?_ It would have to be abandoned. But abandoned and closed down zoos normally get demolished quickly. It could, of course, be to just rhyme with 'you'. But that wouldn't make sense, because then we wouldn't have anything to go on. So it _has_ to do with something…"I trailed off. Everyone around me was silent. There wasn't even a mental conversation in my head. That was when I realized they were all staring at me, _very _intense looks on their faces.

"Why are you all staring at me?"

"Are you sure _you_ aren't Clockwork?" Roy asked, giving a slight chuckle to signify 'I'm joking, don't chew my head off'.

"Ohh…sorry. Yeah. Just kinda, thinking out loud. _Wait!_" I jumped up, almost knocking Robin onto his ass in the process.

"What?" KF asked. He was practically vibrating on the spot. I couldn't tell if he was excited or anxious. Probably both. Artemis was close behind him; her chin could've rested on his shoulder if she wanted to.

"It's an expression! Sometimes, a crowded place could be called a 'zoo'. It could be like-like a mall at Christmastime, or-or a popular vacation spot….something that would be empty now, but is sometimes crowded..." I let my words hang in the air like a thick cloud. I turned around slowly until I faced Robin, all my excitement from figuring out _his_ little riddle drained out of me.

"Like a theater."Robin spoke my fear. I nodded mutely.

"And I know _exactly_ which one." I said, trying to keep the sadness out of my voice. No one but Robin and, of _course_, Zatanna noticed my mental distress.

_He's _really_ not making this easy for me. _I couldn't help but think as we all piled back into the bio-ship and I instructed M'gann to New York, New York.

* * *

><p><em><strong>So, that's chapter 19! Sorry it took a bit longer than I expected, but I just kept writing and writing and writing and well…I'm pretty proud of it, I must say! Yay!<strong>_

_**Also, I apologize for making Zatanna a little out of character. But you know, I **_**had**_** to make her a bitch, right? At least in Renee's perspective. She **_**is**_**, after all, trying to take Renee's little bird away…albeit seemingly unintentionally. **_

_**Word Counts:  
>This Chapter: 3,074<br>Total: 25,423**_

_**Happy Writings,  
>Vid.<strong>_


	20. Chapter 20

_**A/N: **_

_**Heyyoo! So, I just wanted to say that while I was writing this, "Hero/Heroine" by Boys Like Girls was stuck in my head. So if you know the song, think of it when you're reading this. And **_**then**_**, if you know the songs "Ballad of Mona Lisa" and "Hurricane" by Panic! At the Disco, I was listening to those two songs when I wrote the last fourth of the chapter (You'll know when you get there what's the second half. I'll give you a hint: it has to do with the number 72.) ^.^**_

_**Also, thanks to everyone who's read from the beginning. 20 chapters is a milestone, to me, and if you're still reading, that makes me believe I must be doing something right. So, thank you. And that goes for anyone who's began reading at any stage of the game, too.**_

_**In addition, Happy Christmas! Or, as my English teacher put it as we were leaving school Thursday, "Happy Winter Festivus!"**_

_****Note: I do not know the schedule or ownership of the Marriott Marquis, nor do I know how its layout looks or how it's connected to the Minskoff Theatre, so anything I've written about it is made-up for storyline purposes only. I hope you don't mind.**_

* * *

><p><span>Nightshadow: Chapter 20:<span>  
>~Robin's POV~<p>

We landed shortly after we took off. M'gann was flying the bio-ship as fast as it could go. I silently thanked whoever decided to make the Broadway Theaters dark on Mondays, or else there would've been a _lot_ of hostages to deal with.

I looked over at Renee. She was bouncing her leg nervously, and kept looking down at her hands – as if she could still feel that damn watch resting in her palm. Something tugged at my heartstrings deep inside. _Sadness._ I was upset _for_ her. I, naturally, began to analyze this feeling and how it would affect me once we were inside.

"Oh, my god. 'The Lion King'? _Really?_ This guy's twisted." Zatanna said from my right. I turned to face her, and she gave me a flirtatious wink. I groaned inwardly.

Zatanna had pulled me aside to ask about Renee when we were first getting ready to leave Mt. Justice. I told her I'd known her for a long time, and that she was a good person, basically as much as I could possibly tell her without saying right-out "Oh, and I know you have a thing for me, but I'm not interested because I'm in love with her." But Zatanna didn't get the hints. Plural. It was actually quite whelming to try to ignore her – which was extremely difficult because she just made her flirting more and more obvious. I was afraid that she would just full-out kiss me, just to get the attention she wants.

"The Minskoff Theatre, yeah. My mom's living in the Marriott Marquis that's attached to it. Sick bastard. He probably bought out the place and made sure no one had reservations." Renee had her arms folded across her chest defiantly as she craned her neck to look over the side of the roof.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get in there and kick some ass!" Wally said, in a botched attempt to lighten the mood. To everyone's surprise, Conner laughed.

"Yeah, let's go kick ass." He said with a hint of what I later swore was a smile. The rest of us nodded in agreement, and Wally went to high-five Superboy. He stopped halfway there when he realized who he was about to high-five. I stifled a cackle.

The doorway down was only big enough for one, so we filed into line. Kaldur went first, then Roy, followed by Zatanna, Artemis, Wally, Conner, and M'gann.

"You coming?" I snaked my arm around Renee's waist, silently thankful that Kaldur took the lead instead of her. She would've been the obvious choice.

"Yeah. I was just thinking on how I was going to take Clockwork on one-on-one." She admitted, resting her head against my shoulder. I looked up at the fading oranges, violets, and blues that was the sky.

"You won't be one-on-one. We'll all be right there beside you. I'll be right there." I reassured her, pressing my lips to the crown of her head.

_You better be right beside me._ I thought. I didn't know what I would do if…if something happened. _No. You can't think like that, Dick. C'mon, man up._ I felt a new wave of energy course through my veins. Tugging at Renee's small hand, I led her down the stairs and into the hotel portion of the Minskoff.

"Duck!" Renee whispered in my ear, pushing me down so the two of us rolled down the rest of the stairs. She pulled me up, a new determination glinting in her bluish-violet eyes.

"Kaldur! Where are the others?" I asked the Atlantian, not letting go of Renee's hand. I did a quick assessment of the situation: Clockwork already divided us up. Roy and Kaldur were each up against a henchman twice their size that seemed to know their every move before they made it.

"They proceeded on down that hallway there. You must go follow them. We will be alright." Kaldur replied breathlessly as he fended off a ruthless attack.

"Are you sure? We can help!" Renee called. This time is was Roy who answered:

"Yes, we'll be fine. Now go!" He almost barked at her. I held his gaze for a second, asking the silent question. He nodded discreetly, then smiled when he saw Renee's hand in mine.

"C'mon." I ran in the direction Kaldur had pointed, Nightshadow trailing behind me. My hand never left hers.

We turned a corner and flew down another set of stairs before I almost _literally_ ran into Superboy.

"Where'd they go?" I asked, as Renee said at the same time, "You guys alright?"

Truthfully, M'gann and Conner were on _fire._ Figurative fire, of course, but they were like one well-oiled machine. They looked like they weren't doing too well, to be honest, but they were working together as one. In a sporadic manner, no less, so these henchmen weren't blocking their every move like the ones Kaldur and Roy were fighting. _Way to get traught._ I silently praised them. Supey grunted in what I could only assume was an "I'm fine" manner.

"Down the south hallway, around the corner, and down the two flights of stairs. They're in the actual theatre now." M'gann told me as she mentally lifted one of two henchmen they were battling and threw him against the wall.

"Thanks. Stay traught." I encouraged them as Renee and I raced in the direction the Martian told us to go. We ran down the two flights of stairs even though Renee could see the bottom – I wasn't thinking about her powers. I was too busy analyzing what we had seen so far. The henchmen were getting bigger, stronger, and harder to fight. _What if we all don't make it out okay? _The thought unintentionally crossed my mind. I tried to push it out - I knew the team was better than good enough to make it out relatively unscathed – but it stuck there and spread like a disease. Slightly unnerved now, I risked a backward glance at my Shadow. Her lips were set in a hard line, and her eyes were sparkling with a mixture of anger and adrenaline. Chocolate-colored hair whipped behind her as we sprinted down the staircase at top-speed. I focused my gaze back at the stairs in front of me, but she must've seen me looking, because her hand was suddenly tighter on mine.

"We can do this." She murmured, the words ripped from her mouth and blown back with her brown hair. Something that I hadn't realized was squeezing at my heart released it, and suddenly, the disease-thought that had latched on my mind let go as well. With a smirk that I probably shouldn't have had on my face, I recognized the energy rush that came to me on the roof come again.

_She's giving you something to fight for._ My subconscious piped up from the recesses of my mind as I pushed open the door to the theatre portion of the Marriott/Minskoff building.

"Dude! Rob!" KF stopped short in front of us. Looking down at our joined hands, he gave Renee a shit-eating grin. "'Bout time." He commented. I chose to ignore his remark.

"KF, what's going on? Are you guys alright? Where's Zatanna?" I felt Renee stiffen slightly beside me at the mention of the raven-haired girl. _Shit. She hates her. You're a dumbass, Dick. You should've said something to Renee. Or more to Zatanna. Or both. _I scolded myself, but I pushed it aside, instead focusing on Wally's response.

"Zatanna's gone off the deep end or something, man. Three henchmen attacked us, and she just slipped right past them and kept running. I think she wants to go after Clockwork herself. Rob, she hasn't had any experience with the guy. You guys go after her. Artie and I got these guys covered." Wally's grin slipped off his face as he spoke, and I nodded in understanding. Renee, however, cocked her head to the side.

"Are you guys sure? Three against two is awfully unfair." She said, genuine concern evident in her voice for the red-head and his blonde girlfriend.

"Yeah, we're _fine_, 'Shadow. You go kick Clockwork's ass, 'kay?" Wally patted her shoulder in a un-Wally-like gesture of comfort before speeding off back into the fight.

"Well, are you just gonna stand there, Boy Wonder, or are we gonna kick Clockwork's ass once and for all?" She tugged at my hand, and I grinned at her. We raced around the corner –

And Zatanna was fighting the eighth henchman.

"Zatanna!" Renee called as the dark-haired girl was thrown against the wall. I threw a few bird-a-rangs as we rushed to Zatanna's side.

"What the hell?" The dark-haired girl spat, gesturing towards our still-entwined hands.

"Okay, I get it. You have a thing for Rob; you hate me because your subconscious picked up on what your conscious mind is seeing now. We can deal with this _later._ Now where is Clockwork and why did you leave Artemis and Kid Flash outnumbered?" Renee spoke with an indifference that I could tell she was forcing so she didn't destroy Zatanna right there and then. Zatanna scoffed, and I glanced over my shoulder at the henchman I had thrown the bird-a-rangs at. He was passed out cold from the blast.

"He ran like a _coward_ when he realized I wasn't _you._ He must've been scared that he wouldn't be able to beat anyone that wasn't _you._" Renee clenched the hand not in mine, her whole body visibly tensing.

"Now listen here, you little bitch. I dunno who the _hell_ you think you are, but not even frickin' _Batman_ could defeat him on his own. He ran because he called _me_ out, and he doesn't want to hurt a pretty little hair on your head. He doesn't have _your _mother, he has _mine. _So stop trying to start a fight and tell me where the _hell_ he went." Renee's voice had dropped menacingly low, and I suppressed a shudder.

_You should calm her down, Dick. Before she does something rash._ I told myself, but one look at the horrified expression on Zatanna's face threw any notion of calming Nightshadow down out the window.

"He-he went that way." Zatanna pointed to her right. Renee stood up, and I followed suit.

"You should go help KF and Artemis." I said over my shoulder as we raced off towards Clockwork. Halfway down the dark and richly carpeted hallway, I realized that we were heading to the stage of the theater.

_Sick bastard thinks he's putting on a show._ I was about to inform the small Shadow beside me of this when she stopped short.

"Rob, you should get my mom and get out. Take everyone with you." Renee said, turning to face me. I blinked.

"But-" I began, but she cut me off.

"No! No buts! This guy has a weird fetish for explosions. I wouldn't be surprised if he rigged the entire place to explode. I can get out fast, you guys can't. I know for a fact that he'll have my mom there. Do what you do best, Rob. Disappear, grab my mom, then get the hell out and take the team with you." She spoke quickly, with a quiet urgency that reminded me of Wally complaining that he was hungry. Only her words weren't amusing.

"I can't just _leave_ you there. If he freezes you, you'll have no way out." I told her just as urgently. Renee shook her head.

"How do you think I got out last time, Rob? Do you think that I was frozen then? _I can teleport faster than he can freeze me._ He can only stop someone or something if he can follow them with his hand. His power doesn't come from his _brain_, it comes from his _hands_." She locked her eyes with mine. The lights had dimmed drastically from the end of the hallway Zatanna was at mere moments ago, but I could still see them. There was fear, yes, but something burned deeper than that, and I felt her burning determination and confidence fill me up. With a jolt, I realized that she was right. I had been there when Ra – when Logan Knight, Renee's brother – had died, I had seen with my own two eyes what Clockwork could do and how. But something in the pit of my stomach still wasn't convinced.

"I can get your mom, get her to Wally, and then come back and help-" My futile attempt to convince Nightshadow that Robin needed to come with her was thrown aside as Renee took my face in both of her hands and tilted it so that our noses nearly touched.

"Dick," She said so softly, I had to strain to hear her, "stop trying to be the hero. I know you don't want to leave me alone with the sick villain, but I can take care of myself. I won't leave you." I felt my eyes widen as I recognized what the feeling in the pit of my stomach was – I was afraid she would die and leave me. Before I had a chance to respond, her lips were pressed against mine, and one of her hands was tangled in my hand. I kissed her back with fervor, my arms wrapping around her lithe frame. All too soon, she broke away, her cheeks flushed.

"Okay. Be safe." I told her, pulling her into me and hugging her as tight as I could.

"I will. I love you, Dick." She said, her breath warm on my neck.

"I love you too." I responded as we pulled apart and she rushed off down the rest of the hallway and disappeared around the corner. I raced after her, stopping in the shadows of the curtains of the large stage. Various set pieces littered the wooden floorboards. I turned in a slow circle, searching high and low for Renee's mother.

"_The light booth."_ Renee's voice said in my head, and I almost jumped. I had forgotten that we still had a mind link via M'gann. Sure enough, I saw a woman tied up in the light box that couldn't be mistaken for anyone other than Renee's mother. She had the same color hair, and the same moderately curvy but small in stature frame. However, whereas Renee's eyes were always clear and steady, her mother's seemed cloudy and were constantly darting around. I began my ascent up to the light box when I heard Renee's unmistakable lit come from center stage:

"Clockwork."

"Nightshadow, how nice of you to finally grace us with your presence." Clockwork responded in a calm, gentlemanly voice.

"What the hell do you want?" I smirked at Renee's response. I could _hear _the eye roll that came along with her exasperated sigh.

"Well, child, isn't it obvious? I won round one, you won round two. We're tied. This is our tiebreaker." Clockwork's smooth tones couldn't mask his purely psychotic way of thinking. By this time I had reached Renee's mother and began untying her. She started trying to talk to me.

"Shh, I'm Robin. I'm a friend of your daughter's. I'm here to get you out. But you have to be quiet, okay?" I found myself talking to her like I would a small child, but I couldn't help it. Her clouded eyes reminded me of someone who wasn't quite all there. She nodded furiously, and I released her restraints.

"-bombs did you use this time?" Renee was asking. I was surprised at the civil manner of the exchange. They were just standing roughly three yards apart, talking like they were at a casual dinner party or something.

_If it was any of Gotham's other villains – or any other place's, for that matter – they'd be having this exchange while trying to kill each other._ I thought to myself as I led Renee's mother back the way I came. I led her around the corner as Clockwork responded coolly:

"I lost track at seventy-two."

_Shit. Those things could go off any minute._ I thought frantically as I ran back down the hallway, Renee's mother trailing behind me. When I reached Wally, Artemis, and Zatanna, I stopped.

"Guys, we gotta get out of here." I said as I assessed the state of the hallway they were standing in. Parts of various walls were crumbling on the ground, and the three burly henchmen were effectively unconscious.

"Why?" KF asked, looking behind me – obviously trying to find where Renee was.

"Renee's stalling Clockwork but he has this place set to blow." I responded with a heavy heart. Part of me was still unconvinced that Renee would make it out okay.

"_Don't forget to wake up the henchmen. Clockwork may leave them for dead, but we won't. Meet me on the roof of the St. James Theatre. 246 West 44__th__ street. It's between Broadway and 8__th__."_ Renee's voice floated into my head. I pulled out a container of smelling salts from my utility belt and gave it to Wally. He woke up the brutes. Before they got too awake, we bolted up the stairs.

M'gann and Conner were waiting for us at the top of the staircase. Without a word, Conner took the salts from Wally and woke up the henchmen. I was secretly beaming with pride that the team had effectively taken out all of these giant Clockwork lackeys.

"_Hurry up, guys. I dunno when he's gonna set them off." _Renee's voice, although a mental reincarnation of her audible speech, was still breathless.

_That guy's going to drain her energy so she can't teleport._ I thought as we ascended the final steps to where Kaldur and Roy should have been waiting for us. Instead, we found two barely conscious guards.

"_We heard Renee's message. We have gone to the roof." _Kaldur's calm, leadership tones were suddenly in my head. Conner used the smelling salts, and we started up the stairs as the other henchmen moved noisily into the room.

"Wha's goin' on?" One asked, to which another replied, "Dunno, bu' we bes' beh gettin' outta here. Boss say he's gonna blow teh place." Thankfully, they were either oblivious to us or were too busy trying to figure out how to get out of the building to care, because they didn't even lift a finger in our direction as we filed one-by-one up the stairs.

Once we were on the roof, M'gann opened the bio-ship's hatch and everyone climbed in. A heaviness had descended upon the team, as if everyone knew Renee may not make it. As I shepherded Renee's mother into the bio-ship, Wally patted my back reassuringly.

"She'll be okay, Rob. Everything turns out the way you think it will be." He smiled down at me, but the smile didn't reach his emerald eyes. I nodded numbly – _Since when is Wally West giving words of wisdom?_ – and followed him into the bio-ship. We jetted through the blue-black sky to the St. James Theatre and piled out quickly, all of our faces turned towards the direction we came.

They say light travels faster than sound.

A column of bright orange flame erupted into the sky a split-second before we heard a deafening _boom._ I shielded my eyes from the blinding fire to look around the rooftops.

No Renee.

My chest felt hollow.

"**I won't leave you."**

* * *

><p><em><strong>So, yeah! A few things: First, Chapter 20! Thank you all again for reading thus far. At this point, part of me wants to talk about the length of this fic…but I'm not going to go into it, because up to this point it's been "hey self, why don't you sit down and write another chapter of Nightshadow?...what the hell are you going to write?" So, yeah. I find that method works, so I'm sticking to it. <strong>_

_**Secondly, if any of you read my other story, Powers of Animation in the X-Men: Evolution fandom, I apologize for not updating in over a week. I'd been swamped with projects and papers due before the holiday. So I **_**will**_** be posting soon! I'm halfway through writing the chapter! I promise! **_

_**Also, that last line, just for clarification, is our little Bird remembering what Renee said earlier in the chapter. I'm just pointing this out because my friend read through this pre-posting to look for mistakes and didn't understand why it was bolded. So yeah.**_

_**Word Counts:  
>This chapter: 3,231<br>Total: 28,654**_

_**Happy Writings (and Holidays),  
>Vid.<strong>_


	21. Chapter 21

Nightshadow: Chapter 21:

_They say light travels faster than sound._

_A column of bright orange flame erupted into the sky a split-second before we heard a deafening boom. I shielded my eyes from the blinding fire to look around the rooftops._

_No Renee._

_My chest felt hollow._

"_**I won't leave you."**_

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><p>~Renee's POV~<br>_Roughly Ten Minutes earlier…_

"Clockwork." I growled, trying my best to be menacing. I forced myself not to look around, convinced that if I let my eyes wander, I would betray Robin and what he was doing.

"Nightshadow, how nice of you to finally grace us with your presence." Clockwork responded in a gentlemanly manner. I suppressed a shudder. _That bastard._

"What the hell do you want?" I asked in my best exasperated tone. I rolled my eyes at him, just for effect.

"Well, child, isn't it obvious? I won round one, you won round two. We're tied. This is our tiebreaker." He responded calmly.

"What the _hell,_ you psycho? Wait, how many bombs did you use this time?" I felt the panic bubble up inside me. _What if they don't have enough time? _I wanted to punch my subconscious. It was _totally_ not helping.

"I lost track at seventy-two." _Shit. Shit shit shit! _I wanted to scream. Sure, the bombs were all probably really small, so that the entire street wouldn't go up, but still. He was going to level the building, and it terrified me. I saw out of the corner of my eye the swish of Robin's cape.

_Good. They'll make it out in time. But just in case…_

"_Don't forget to wake up the henchmen. Clockwork may leave them for dead, but we won't. Meet me on the roof of the St. James Theatre. 246 West 44__th__ street. It's between Broadway and 8__th__." _ I told them via the mind-link. I didn't want a repeat of last time. The guilt would be too much.

"I have a question. What is it with you and calling me out?" I asked scathingly, hoping that he couldn't hear the undertone of fear that was painfully obvious to me.

"Well, it's simple, really. A bright girl like you should've figured it out. I never meant to make an enemy like Batman. I was purely using him to get to your precious mentor, Ra. My gripe was with him. Everything was working as planned. You were getting the Batman and his little sidekick out, and I was going to use you to get out of there before Ra went up in flames-"

"Wait, you were going to kill Ra all along? You-you sick bastard!" I cut him off mid-sentence, my eyes wide.

"Yes, yes. He was going to die. It was inevitable. But all those other people – they were your fault! I had them all frozen so that they would make it out alright, but then you had to go and do what your little Ra told you and teleport out of there after I pressed the detonator. I had to freeze time to get out of there, which meant my hold on all those innocents were broken. Some of my best henchmen were killed that day, and it was all _your_ fault." He paused to take a breath, and I took it as an opportunity to interject my own thoughts.

"Wait – you can freeze time itself now? What the hell? And how is it _my_ fault? You could have done the noble thing and sacrificed yourself. Or you could've not pressed the detonator until they all had gotten out of there. Weren't your henchmen getting them to evacuate? You could've waited another minute or so, so that they would be safe. But no, _you_ pressed the button; _you_ committed the act of murder." I was struggling not to scream. Or punch him in the face. I didn't want to make the first move in that department. That would give him the advantage of my anger.

"Oh, you silly little child. I'm a psychopath. Of _course_ I'm going to blame you and not listen to reason. Don't take it personally. But yes, I can freeze time itself. The problem is, it ages me – makes me ill. I was all for ignoring you and leaving you to your pain and misery until you stopped me from robbing that bank in Hong Kong. Then, I thought – and this is one of my most _brilliant_ thoughts – why not finish the job? I finished off Ra, why am I letting his sidekick slide with just misery? So, I devised a brilliant plan – you would end the _exact _way Logan did." He clamped a hand to his mouth, his eyes wide.

_Logan…how does he know?_ I thought, puzzled. Then I remembered the picture of Walter Snow – of Clockwork's alias – and it hit me.

"You – you're Reed Alexander! You – you were Logan's roommate in college! What the _hell,_ you sick bastard! You killed your _friend!_" This time I really _did _scream. The psychopath just chuckled.

"Silly little girl, I don't _have_ friends. I'm a _psychopath._ Maybe you should look it up, since you obviously don't know what it means."

"Wait, you stopped time again, didn't you? That's how you survived the second explosion. But that means…you're dying, aren't you? That's why you called me out again so quickly." Something clicked in my brain. It all made sense, now.

"Yes, very good. You're catching on!" Clockwork – Reed – clapped his hands gleefully. I remembered Reed. He was a nice little nerd-kid, double majored in sociology and psychology. (Which was ironic.) He would always help me out with my homework when I went to ask Logan and he was off being a superhero.

_If only I had known_. I thought ruefully, staring at the sick villain in front of me that had ruined my life.

"Don't patronize me, Reed." I snapped, and the affect was instantaneous. Clockwork's gold armor-like mask was ripped from his face to show his maliciously glinting eyes and pursed lips.

"Don't you _dare _call me that! I am no longer that helpless nerd! I am _Clockwork!_ I am the Master of Time! I killed the mighty Ra! And now I'll kill _you, _too!" Reed lunged at me, and I teleported away.

"Stay still, you imbecile!" He screeched as I teleported around the theatre continuously, stopping only for a millisecond at a time. Clockwork's face was red with rage; he started just freezing things wildly, hoping that he would catch me, but I was too fast. I was in his head. I had the advantage. All I had to do was keep moving.

My body was screaming at me to slow down, and I was wearing out fast. I had no idea what would happen if I kept going, but I knew that the lives of my friends depended on it. Dick's life depended on it.

_Dick._ I repeated his name in my head, over and over again, hoping that somehow it would give me the strength to keep going.

"_Hurry up, guys. I dunno when he's gonna set them off."_ I told the Team, knowing that he was about to get impatient.

"Enough!" Sure enough, Clockwork screamed and pulled out a little black box – one that I had _way _too much experience with.

"**No!**" I screeched, and I teleported one more time, effectively tackling him onto the ground. The trigger for the explosives skittered out of reach.

"_We heard Renee's message. We have gone to the roof." _Kaldur's strong and level voice rang in my head as Clockwork and I literally rolled around on the floor of the stage, both of us trying to reach the trigger.

Suddenly, in a burst of strength, Clockwork threw me off of him and grabbed the trigger.

"Buh-bye!" His voice was laced with maniacal glee. My eyes went wide.

_Dammit, this was his plan all along! He's going to kill himself, too! No evidence, no conviction, no Batman on his ass about it._ I didn't wait to see him press the button. Without thinking it through, I teleported to where he stood and grabbed onto the arm that wasn't currently pushing the button that was going to blow us to smithereens.

"What the _he-_" Clockwork began to say, but the rest was cut off by a small popping sound and a puff of black smoke.

"-_ll._" I heard the _boom_ that went with the explosion. I had gotten us out just in time, though I was unsure exactly _where_ we were.

Looking down, I saw a giant neon sign for "Billy Elliott". _Imperial Theatre. Why the hell did I think of this place? _ I wondered, but any analysis was pushed aside for later.

"Clockwork – Reed – come on, just turn yourself in. Live out the rest of your days." I tried to reason with him, but he just started to walk away.

"Not a chance – _oof._" I tackled him to the ground, pinning his arms behind him.

_Man, wish I had handcuffs. Dick probably – shit, the others are waiting for me!_ I suddenly remembered what I had told them.

"_Imperial Theatre roof. Hurry, I can't hold him for long." _I told the Team as I struggled to keep a squirming Clockwork pinned on the ground. A chorus of 'Renee!' and 'Oh thank god' began rattling around my brain.

_They all thought I was dead, no doubt. Oops._ I thought in passing. _Nothing I can do about it now. I mixed up what was playing at the Imperial and what was at the St. James. _ I realized that I had been thinking "Billy Elliott" as I had teleported Reed and myself out of the Minskoff, without really remembering that it was playing at the Imperial theatre. I couldn't remember the name of whatever Harry Connick Jr. was starring in at the St. James.

"Nightshadow!" I heard Wally before I saw the speedster skid to a stop in front of me. "Need some help?" He asked, and I nodded. Robin slid off of KF's back, and the bio-ship with everyone else landed on the rooftop shortly after the two boys had Clockwork in cuffs.

"Man, you look like shit." Zatanna said as she walked towards us. I looked down. My suit was ripped and charred in places from the explosion and the scuffle that had happened right before and after it.

"Yeah, well, sometimes that's the price you pay for getting the job done." I said with a smile, making her – and everyone else – laugh. Truthfully, I felt like crap, too. My head felt like lead, and I didn't know how long my legs were going to hold me up.

_Note to self: extreme exhaustion comes from teleporting that much that quickly. _I logged the new information about my powers in the back of my brain and let Robin carry my bridal-style back into the bio-ship.

"I thought I had lost you. When you didn't show up, and the building exploded – never do that again." He murmured into my hair, and I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Trust me, Rob. I'm pretty damn sure that was a one-time deal. I didn't mean to scare you…I just teleported here instead of there by accident." I whispered back, my face buried into his chest. I felt him chuckle.

"It's okay. Just…don't do it again." He laughed again, and I joined in. We flew back to Mt. Justice in silence, Rob's hand entwined in mine.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Yay! Clockwork's been vanquished! Haha. This isn't the end though, so don't worry. I have some more stuff I'd like to do. <strong>_

_**I'm really proud of this chapter. I hope you all liked it.**_

_**Word Counts:  
>This Chapter: 1,903<br>Total: 30,557**_

_**Lots of Love and Happy Writings,  
>Vid.<strong>_


	22. Chapter 22

_**A/N:**_

_**So, lately, I've been asked to do more Spitfire…I apologize for the lack of Spitfire (with the exception of a few chapters) thus far, but this is for a few reasons: A) The story's more centric on RobinxRenee (obviously); B) I find I have a spot of trouble writing for Artemis (why I can't be sarcastic and dry, I don't know. I use sarcasm all the time…); and C) I forgot. So, to quench your Spitfire thirst, I gave myself a challenge and I'm writing this chapter from Wally's POV, the next chapter from Artemis' POV, and she and Wally are pretty damn centric characters. Heehee. Of course, there is our favorite little bird as well…**_

_**A special thanks to knightmare1986 for giving me the suggestion for some of the events that occur in this chapter and the next…and maybe the chapter after that, too…I'm not sure how long it's going to take…heehee.**_

* * *

><p><span>Nightshadow: Chapter 22:<span>  
>~Kid Flash's POV~<p>

After Bats and Uncle Barry came and picked up Clockwork, we all crashed at Mt. Justice for the night. And when I say crashed, I mean _literally_ crashed. M'gann was lying on one end of the couch, Conner right next to her, his feet on the coffee table and his head lolled to one side. Roy was stretched out on the floor; Kaldur was propped up against the coffee table. Renee and Rob were curled up together on the other end of the couch. Arty and I had fallen asleep sitting on the floor with our backs against the couch. I had woken up with my arms wrapped around her and her head resting on my shoulder – I didn't remember doing any of that.

My stomach was growling in protest from lack of dinner last night, but I couldn't move without waking up Artemis. _Dilemma. Hmm…_ I was debating on whether or not I could reach Roy with my foot and kick him awake to get me something to eat when Arty stirred in my arms.

"Good morning." I whispered into her hair when her eyes fluttered open.

"Hey, Baywatch." She croaked, brushing her lips against my cheek. My heart skipped a beat.

"Hungry?" I asked her, and she nodded. Careful not to step on anyone, I picked my way into the kitchen and pulled out the ingredients for pancakes – the only breakfast food that we had all the ingredients for. I had finished off the cereal the day before, and waffles were just a hassle to make. I heard footsteps behind me, and turned around to see Artemis pulling her hair out of its usual ponytail. She began running her hands through it, as if she was using her fingers as a comb. I turned back to the pancakes.

"Is anyone else up?" I said without looking away from the batter I was mixing.

"Nope. I checked. They're all out cold. Did you see Rob and Renee? How adorable is _that_?" I chuckled at the girly comment the archer had just made.

"What? I can't be a girl now, Baywatch?" She snapped. I made note to remember that she's irritable in the mornings so I wouldn't piss her off so early in the future. I glanced at the clock built into the stove. 7:30 AM.

"You can be a girl all you want, Arty. I just wasn't expecting you to call Rob _adorable_." So, I lied. I didn't expect her to be all girly.

_You _are_ her boyfriend….kind of. Get used to it. She's probably going to expect fancy dinners, flowers, candy, presents…oh god, what have I gotten myself into?_ I felt fear bubble up, but I pushed it down. _Come _on,_ you're Wally West! You have no fear._

"Don't call me Arty. And what were you expecting me to call them? Renee's my friend." She responded angrily, and I didn't even have to turn around to know she was glaring at me. I shrugged.

"Don't call me Baywatch. And didn't you _hate_ her like, five days ago?" I asked, trying my best to keep calm.

_But she's just _so_ infuriating!_ My subconscious whined. I told it to shut up.

"I'm not gonna stop calling you Baywatch, Baywatch! And I didn't _hate_ her, I was just angry that she didn't tell us the truth. But that was for like, ten minutes, then we were cool again." The archer's voice took on an exasperated tone, and I smirked at my accomplishment.

"Then I'm going to keep calling you Arty. And okay then. I apologize that I didn't know that." I replied simply as I handed her pancakes.

"Don't get smart with me." She growled. I grabbed the back of my neck with my hand and shook my head.

"I wasn't getting "smart" with you. I was just saying that I didn't know that and I'm sorry I accused you of anything!" I was starting to get angry. _Who the hell does she think she is?_ _…oh, yeah. Your girlfriend. Dammit. Should I even be calling her my girlfriend? Hmm…I will anyway. _I went back to my pancake batter and started pouring more into the pan.

"My god, you are _so _infuriating!" She muttered through a mouthful of pancake.

"Oh _I'm _in-" I stopped myself short. _No, Wally. One move like that and she could kick you to the curb…so to speak._

"Good morning. Can you make me some, Wally?" Zatanna's voice floated toward me, laced with a thickness that only sleep can bring.

"Of course, beautiful." I responded, pulling another plate from the cabinet.

"Wally…" Artemis' coarse voice held an unmistakable warning.

"Sorry, sorry." I said quickly, mentally bracing myself in case she hit me with that damn wooden spoon again. But there was no loud _crack! _and no shooting pains.

_Yes! I didn't get hit! She really _does_ care about me!_ I couldn't help but mentally jump for joy at the new development.

Handing Zatanna her pancakes, she muttered her thanks before turning to Artemis.

"So, you two are together. Megan and Conner are together-" I quirked an eyebrow at that. I mean, I had known that they were together, but it had never been said aloud before.

"-but are Rob and Renee together?" Zatanna's question was innocent enough, but I couldn't help but pick up on the venom in her voice when she said the little shadow's name.

"Uh, yeah. They are." I said quickly, maybe a little too quickly. But if either of the girls in front of me had noticed, they didn't show it.

"Interesting…" Zatanna trailed off.

"Why is that _interesting_?" Artemis said protectively, and I couldn't help but smile at her motherly mannerisms when our team's two youngest members were involved.

"It's just that…I don't think it will work out. They don't seem…compatible." I burst out laughing at Zatanna's cracked-up response. She gave me a quizzical look.

"Sorry, babe, but you couldn't be more wrong in that assumption." I said with a smirk. I heard Artemis snarl at me menacingly but I chose to ignore it.

"Who's wrong in what assumption?" Piped up a new voice. Renee was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, rubbing at her eyes.

"Nothing, nothing." Zatanna said a little too sweetly.

"Where's Rob?" I asked, trying to change the subject. The small girl pulled herself onto a stool before responding.

"Got a page or whatever from Bats or something, I dunno. I just know he rushed off to the Batcave." There was a note of concern in Renee's voice as she relayed the information she knew. I set some pancakes in front of her to which gave a wide, thankful smile.

Within a few minutes, everyone else began filing in and the kitchen was filled with various conversations. I caught bits and pieces of them – Kaldur was explaining to Conner _why _pancakes didn't taste like cake, Megan was floating beside her boyfriend, nodding eagerly at Kaldur's words, Roy and Artemis were talking about types of arrows, and Zatanna and Renee were having a conversation that _didn't _involve them going at each other's throats, for once.

"Guys!" A familiar voice rang out above the din, and I turned around to see everyone staring at a frowning Robin standing next to the Dark Knight.

_Why is Bats here? _I glanced around at the others to see if they were as confused as I was. Thankfully, they seemed to be.

"What's wrong?" Renee asked, the first to recover from the initial shock of Batman interrupting our breakfast.

"Clockwork died late last night." Batman announced in his gravelly voice, a gloved hand resting on Robin's shoulder.

"What?!" I burst out, and everyone began speaking at once. I looked over at Renee, who – other than Robin and Batman – seemed to be the only one not surprised.

"Guys." She said, but her words were lost among the personal conversations.

"Guys." She repeated, louder this time. I brought my fingers to my mouth to whistle for their attention, but she beat me to it.

"_Guys_!" She screeched, slamming her fist down on the counter. Everyone stopped mid sentence and stared at the youngest person in the room, some with their mouths hanging open.

"It was inevitable. Isn't that right, Batman?" She said, turning to the older man. He nodded gravely, motioning for her to explain.

"Clockwork – or Reed Alexander, former college roommate of Logan Knight -" This earned a gasp from everyone in the room, especially Robin. If Bats wasn't holding onto him, he would have run to Renee's side right then and there.

"- he explained it to me, last night. Well, more like I was stalling him and he got carried away. He survived those explosions by _literally_ stopping time _around the world_. But it drained his life force and made him sick. That's why he called me out so soon after our last encounter together – he knew he didn't have much time." There was a sadness in her voice that I didn't quite understand.

_Why would she be sad about the bastard dying? He destroyed her family, her life!_ I thought to myself, confused. Evidently, Zatanna had the same train of thought.

"Good, the asshole's dead. Why do you sound so sad about it? Afraid you'll never have a nemesis again? Did you not _want _him to die?" Alright, she only partially had the same train of thought I did. Hers took a wrong turn and ended up in loony-ville.

"No! I'm not sad that Clockwork's gone. I don't care if I ever have a nemesis. And he deserves to die! It's ju-just that I knew Reed. Pre-psychopath Reed. He was a nice guy. And it's just upsetting to me that such a nice guy turned into an evil psychotic villain! Is that _wrong_ of me to think that something like that is upsetting, _Zatanna_?" Renee spit out the other girl's name with such venom that I was surprised Batman didn't intervene.

The ebony-haired girl opened her mouth to speak, but the shadow beat her to it: "Don't get me wrong here, Zatanna. You're a good person, I think. You seem like you're nice to everyone – you know, except me for some damn reason. I don't _hate_ you or anything, but accusing me of not wanting the man to die who _ruined_ my life, killed my brother _and_ father, and kidnapped my mother crosses a line." Renee's dark eyes flashed with anger, and her small hands were balled into fists at her sides. I was amazed at the amount of sheer _emotion_ coming from such a small, young person.

The look on Zatanna's face was priceless.

She was terrified to her wit's end of the girl in front of her, and I was trying not to laugh. I looked at Robin, whose gaze instantly met mine, and I could tell that he was trying not to laugh at Zatanna's terror, too.

"Who knew such a sweet girl had such a temper." Roy spoke, breaking the silence that had hung in the air like a wet blanket. I let my laughter out, and soon, the whole team – even Renee – and Roy were clutching their sides. My eyes started to sting from tears of laughter. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Dark Knight shake his head and walk away, a small smile gracing his usually stoic face. The only one not laughing was Zatanna. She slid off her stool with a huff and stormed off to who-knows-where, but I only heard the Zeta-tubes start up once, so she either left with Batman or she just ran off to some other part of the mountain.

Sooner than I would have liked, everyone calmed down and Robin slid into the seat where Zatanna had previously occupied, entwining his fingers with Renee's under the counter as he sat. I walked around to where Artemis was sitting and wrapped one arm around her waist.

"Wanna get dinner tonight? I'll pay." I whispered in her ear in my best suave voice. Artemis pulled me down by my shirt until her mouth was next to my ear.

"Sorry, Baywatch. Renee and I are treating ourselves to a spa day. We won't be back until late." She whispered back before pecking a quick kiss on my cheek and letting go of my shirt. I deflated. I had been looking forward to some time alone with Artemis, and now I had to wait again.

I sat down next to Artemis and started talking with Roy and Kaldur about Roy's life, since we hadn't seen him in a while. Everyone just chatted in the kitchen for the next hour or so, until a small device on Roy's belt began beeping, and he stated that he had to go. Then Conner and M'gann left, saying they were going to the beach. Kaldur was the next to disappear. Lastly, Artemis dragged Renee away so they could go get ready for their spa day, leaving Rob and I alone.

"Hey, buddy." I said, punching his arm playfully. He smiled wickedly and punched me back _much_ harder than I had punched him.

"Hey! Ow!" I exclaimed, making the Boy Wonder cackle.

"Batman says that the League decided that we should take a mini-vacation, they aren't giving us any missions for the next few days." Robin informed me as he fiddled around with one of his gadgets.

"Yes! Dude, do you know what this means?" I jumped out of my seat. Robin looked at me, a bemused and quizzical expression painted on his masked face.

"What does it mean, Wally?" He recited, pocketing the gadget in his utility belt.

"We can go do _whatever we want._ The League won't come looking for us because they're giving us some time to cool off, Arty and Renee are at the spa, so _they_ won't tell us that we can't do something, this is _perfect!_ The question is, what to do…" I trailed off, looking to my dark-haired best friend for suggestions.

"We could…go patrol or something? Batman's off doing League stuff for most of the rest of the week, so the only force protecting Gotham is the police..." Robin chuckled, and I broke into a wide grin.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes! No girls or League to tell us how far to go and what to do! Let's go!" I tugged on Robin's arm before letting go and speeding over to the hanger where all the vehicles are kept.

"Let's see…can't take the bio-ship…don't need a tank or whatever that is…yes! Motorcycles! Perfect!" I raced over and started one up.

"Wally, wait up!" Robin said from behind me, only just entering the hanger. I smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry." I waited as patiently as I could (I was vibrating in place with excitement) as Robin straddled his own bike and snapped on his helmet.

"Ready?" He asked, not waiting for an answer before stepping on the gas. I sped after him.

_This is going to be _awesome_!_ I thought with glee as we headed toward Gotham.

Little did I know, we were about to get into some _deep_ shit.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Ta-da! Haha, Wally's getting Robin in trouble. <strong>_

_**So, anyway, I feel the need to tell you to review if you want, since I really haven't done so in a while…um, happy Wednesday, I suppose. **_

_**Next chapter I'm writing in Artemis' point of view! Yay! I'm hoping for it to be up tomorrow, but bear with me, I've never written from her POV so it may take me a little longer to write. **_

_**Word Counts:  
>This Chapter: 2,526<br>Total: 33,083**_

_**Happy Writings,  
>Vid.<strong>_


	23. Chapter 23

_**A/N:**_

_**So, thanks to knightmare1986 and Irenerb for reviewing last chapter. And tip o' the hat to knightmare1986 for giving me the idea of Wally and Rob getting in trouble and…well, you're about to see how they get out of it.**_

_**I realize that I've kind of been ignoring school thus far, and that is because at first I had forgotten about it, and later on (aka around Christmas) I just decided that it was kind of real-time. So my excuse is that they're on winter break. I'll bring school back in…eventually…I think. Haha. XD I know Failsafe, which chapter one starts after, isn't in December, but I'm taking creative liberty. :D**_

_**Also, the song that is mentioned in this chapter is "Hurricane" by Panic! At the Disco. Look it up, it's really good. I know, I believe I've mentioned the song in a previous author's note, but now I'm actually **_**using**_** it as a part of the chapter!**_

* * *

><p><span>Nightshadow: Chapter 23:<span>  
>~Artemis' POV~<p>

It had only taken us fifteen minutes to clean up Renee's nastier scratches and change, but the boys had disappeared already when we were done. _Hmph. Figures they don't even say goodbye. _

"This is going to be _so_ much fun! I've never been to a spa before." Renee said excitedly as she pulled on her grey peacoat and wrapped a baby blue scarf around her neck. The change in attire made Renee's eyes, which I had thought were chocolate brown, turn to a nearly transparent blue-grey.

"You've never been to a _spa_ before?" I said incredulously, pulling on my own coat. Truthfully, I hadn't either, but I wasn't going to let the younger girl know that. She looked at me curiously with those eyes, and I suppressed a shudder. _I feel like she's looking straight through me._ After a moment, she shrugged and stepped into the Zeta tube…thing. I followed her, and in a flash we were squished into a "broken" phone booth in an alley in Gotham.

"C'mon, let's go!" Renee squealed, tugging at my hand. With a jolt, I was reminded just how _young_ the girl in front of me really was. To anyone walking past us, it would seem as if she was the little cousin and I had drawn the short straw to take her somewhere. The serious, strong young woman I had seen the past week or so was gone, replaced with a vivacious five-foot teenager who was now talking animatedly with her hands. The transformation astounded me.

_It's like everything bad in her life never happened,_ I thought ruefully, _Wish I could do that. _

"Artemis…Artemis, are you even listening to me?" Renee said suddenly, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Hmm? Oh, no, sorry. What were you saying?" I said absent-mindedly, looking down at her. Those steely eyes locked with mine.

"It's nothing important, I was just speculating as to where Wally and Rob may be now." If there was ever a sentence in which I would expect someone to push glasses up their nose right after saying it, that would've been it.

"I'm sure Wally's got Rob doing something ridiculous. Baywatch has a thing for the ridiculous." I said passively, trying to ignore the _like me_ that my subconscious added to the end of my words.

"Hmph. Interesting. Hopefully Rob'll keep his head about him, then." She said as we reached the spa.

"Hopefully." I agreed, and we were ushered inside by a rather attractive man who let his gaze linger a little _too_ long on my companion. I surreptitiously moved her so that I was between the two and gave the guy a cringe-worthy glare. He immediately looked away and handed us off to another employee, this time a woman.

"Welcome! Do you have an appointment?" She asked in a sugar-sweet voice that made me want to slap her.

"No." I said, at the same time Renee told her, "Yes."

"What?" I asked, turning to her. She pulled a little plastic card from her back pocket.

"Please. Like I _didn't_ call and get a reservation so that we didn't have to wait like them." She jerked her thumb to a waiting room of various women and girls that looked like they weren't too happy to be sitting there. A few mothers glared at me.

"Where'd you get that?" I gestured to the plastic card that the over-sweet hostess was now ringing up through the register.

"My daddy was rich, remember?" Renee said the last part looking down at the ground, shuffling her feet.

"So is that how you got all around the world after he passed?" I felt my eyebrows steadily crawl up my forehead. _I think she mentioned that in passing…but, still. This place is expensive._ The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was blaringly obvious Renee was a rich kid – her uniform had looked professionally made, when I was helping her pick out what to wear, I saw multiple copies of perfectly pressed school uniforms, and even the clothes she wore now screamed "I have money". I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose.

_Only you would make friends with a rich kid and not realize it._ I scolded myself.

"Yup. Speaking of money, I think we should go shopping later. I need to restock on winter clothes; I left them all in Italy. And, no offense, but it looks like you haven't bought any clothes for yourself in _years._" Renee said as the woman handed back Renee's card and showed us to the manicure station.

"We're getting manicures?" I asked, surprised. _I thought we were just going to sit around and do…spa stuff? Damn, Artemis. You sound like a moron. Of _course_ a spa would offer manicures…you could use some pampering. You'll pay her back eventually._ I contemplated how I was going to pay he back, ignoring Renee's lengthy response as to why we were getting manicures.

"-and so I just said to put us up for anything. And before you start thinking about it too much, this is all my treat. I won't accept any money." My mouth dropped open. Partially because the Vietnamese man on the other side of the manicure table was tearing at my cuticles painfully, but mostly because it was if the little girl had read my mind.

"But…no, I can't accept this without paying you back for at least part of it!" I decided to play the card of unworthy-friend. It was a low one, I knew, but I didn't know how else to argue with her.

"The holidays are coming up soon. Think of it as a Christmas…or Hanukkah…present. Whichever you celebrate." She shrugged her small shoulders delicately, another sign of rich-kid pedigree.

"But, this place is so expensive! I wouldn't be able to-" I started, but she cut me off.

"To buy me something of equal value? I don't want anything for Christmas. I'm just happy that you're my friend, and that I'm part of the Team. That's the best Christmas present a girl can ask for." I watched as her cheeks grew red. _Now I feel like an idiot. Dammit, Artemis. Get yourself together; she's just a little girl!_ But she wasn't a little girl. She was thirteen, and had seen as much – if not more – bad things already than I had in my lifetime. She was mentally stronger than I was, the bags under her eyes that I try to desperately hide on my face were not only barely there, but what was there was barely noticeable in comparison to the sheer confidence and happiness she exudes. _You're jealous._ My subconscious said smugly. I cursed under my breath. _I am _not_ jealous of her, just of her ability to hide her problems so well._ I snapped at it.

"If you come to terms with it, it won't chew quite as much at your gut, and you'll be able to push past it easier." Those grey eyes were studying me in a way that was wise beyond her years, and once again I cursed at myself for making my thoughts so obvious.

"Mmhmm." I went along with it, silently knowing that I wouldn't be _able_ to come to terms with it as long as I was hiding it from Wally, that red-haired buffoon.

"Yup. I could tell you were wondering how I can be so happy when so much sad stuff has happened to me. I'm just telling you how I did it. Honestly, I couldn't have done it without you guys. I haven't been this happy in three years." She beamed at me, and I couldn't help the smile that formed on my face when I did so.

"I'm glad we could help." I tell her truthfully. She shrugs and begins watching the woman who was trimming her nails.

"In other news, Zatanna's a bitch." I heard an unmistakable hint of venom in her voice.

"I don't understand why she-well, I mean, I get _why_, but can't she just get over the fact that Robin's not interested in her?" I responded, immensely grateful that she changed the subject.

"I don't know! And Rob doesn't either. He says he talked to her, yesterday, when she first showed up to help out with the whole thingy, you know, and he doesn't get why she was still doing it. I, _personally_, speculate that she's jealous and therefore decided to hate me before we even got to know one another. And sorry, that's the second time I've used the word 'speculate' today. I just _really_ like that word." She added in the last part after she saw my eyebrow quirk up at the word. I laughed.

"Probably. Zatanna's really a nice person, she just doesn't like _you_." I reassured her, and we both cracked up laughing for some reason unknown to me.

"Ooo! They look so _pretty!_" Renee exclaimed, and I looked at my nails. I had to admit, I was impressed with the foreigner's talent. They were bright green, and he had hand-painted little arrows on them. It sounded like it would've looked bad, but it turned out really, _really_ nice. As the same sugar-sweet woman showed us to the place where they give pedicures – "We _have _to, Artemis! They have _massage chairs_!" – I examined Renee's nails. They were a dark purple – the same color as her uniform – with a baby blue flower painted on each of the ring fingers.

"Why'd you get flowers like that?" I asked, out of sheer curiosity as we stuck our feet into the water bath things attached to the massage chairs.

"It's supposed to symbolize beauty and courage." She said absent-mindedly, and I could tell that she was remembering something from the past. But I didn't push it. It wasn't that important.

"Oh." I said with an understanding nod. We lapsed into a comfortable silence, Renee wrapped up in her own thoughts and me just trying to get out of mine. My thoughts kept going back to a certain speedster, and I couldn't help but feel uneasy.

_I know he's my boyfriend now, but why do my thoughts keep going back to him. And not even to him as a person, just his well-being…is he in trouble?_ A harsh buzzing sound jolted me out of my thoughts, followed by a slightly grainy song recording coming from Renee's phone:

"_Are you worth your weight in gold?  
>'Cause you're behind my eyelids when I'm all alone<br>Hey, stranger, I want you to catch me like a cold  
>You and God both got the guns<br>When you shoot I think I'd duck_

_I led the revolution in my bedroom  
>And I set all the zippers free<br>We said no more wars, no more clothes, give me peace  
>Oh, kiss me<em>

_(Hey, hey)  
>We are a hurricane<br>Drop our anchors in a storm  
>(Hey)<br>They will never be the same  
>A fire in a flask to keep us warm<br>'Cause they know, I know  
>That they don't look like me<br>Oh they know, I know  
>That they don't sound like me<em>

_You'll dance to anything…"_

I was about to pick up the phone myself, she let it ring so long; but when I went to grab it her hand shot out. There was a dark cloud behind her grey eyes.

"Hello?" She asked innocently, and at the reply at the other end, she perked up immensely, the clouding was gone.

"What's up, Rob?" _Ah, that explains it._ I thought with a smirk. The Boy Wonder was the only one to turn her thoughts around that quickly.

"Woah, woah, slow down…Get Wally to shut up…Well, I can't understand you both at once!...Here, just talk to Artemis." She handed the phone to me.

"Hello?" I asked tentatively, afraid of what Rob was going to say.

"Hey Artemis. We're in a…predicament, courtesy of your boyfriend." Rob sounded like he was whispering.

"I thought I told you not to tell her that!" I heard Wally whine, his voice sounding distant.

"What happened?" I asked, still unsure on how to take the situation.

"Well, Kid Idiot here thought it would be fun to go patrolling and we heard there was going to be a weapons exchange and decided to go stop it…it turns out, it was a weapons expo, and everyone from Mr. Freeze to the Joker* is here and we're kind of trapped on a catwalk above the expo and well…we need your help. And Renee's, of course." Rob explained over the phone as I mouthed it to Renee. Her eyes grew wide.

"All done!" A small Vietnamese woman clapped her hands at me. "Go somewhere else now. You in way!" I picked up my shoes with my free hand and followed Renee to the waiting room.

"Alright, we're on our way, just hang tight and make sure the moron doesn't do anything stupid. I can't believe that you followed Wally's lead, Rob." I heard a sigh from down the line.

"Momentary lapse in judgment. It looked harmless! Wait, don't you need our coordinates?"

"Nawh, got that covered. Bye." I pressed the end call button and handed the phone back to Renee, who slipped it into her back pocket.

"Do we need to change?" She asked as I pulled out my own phone and started pressing buttons.

"No time. Okay, they're not far from here…a couple of blocks." I said, slipping on my shoes.

"What _is _that?" Renee asked, craning her neck to see.

"GPS tracker. Put one on Baywatch's suit. ** I figured he'd do something like this eventually, so it's best to be prepared, right?" Really, it had been because I had been worried that he would get in trouble – alone – and we wouldn't be able to find him. But I wasn't going to say that.

Renee waved good-bye at the hostess, explained that she had paid when we came in, and we rushed out into the chilly winter air and around the corner into an alley.

"Hold on." Renee clamped one hand onto my arm, and I heard a small _pop._ I suddenly felt like I was weightless in black nothingness. As soon as the feeling came, it went away, and we were on the roof of the spa.

"Woah…" I said breathlessly, momentarily stunned.

"Which direction, how many blocks?" Renee demanded, and I could tell she had gone into Nightshadow badass-mode. I looked at my phone.

"Umm…three blocks that way." I pointed right. Renee grabbed my arm again and teleported us.

"Far enough? I wasn't sure…" She trailed off.

"No, we're right on top of them." I said, tucking my phone into my boot. Renee walked over to a skylight.

"I see them. How do we want to do this?" She asked me.

"The best way would be for you to just teleport in, grab them, and teleport out." I said authoritatively.

"Okay." She looked back down at the boys, and then she was gone. I watched as she appeared on the catwalk and Wally jumped up excitedly. Then I saw his eyes go wide, and before I could comprehend what was happening, he was falling into the crowd of villains below.

"Dammit, Wally!" I muttered under my breath as I broke a panel of the skylight free and jumped down onto the _center_ of the catwalk, balancing it out.

"A little help?" I looked down to see Wally hanging onto the ledge with one hand, and I was the closest to him. I bent over, grabbed his hands, and began pulling him up when I heard a voice shout out from below.

"Look! Heroes! Get them!" I had no idea who had said it, but I almost let go of Wally in surprise.

"Pull me up! Pull me up!" He said hurriedly, trying to get a foot on the edge of the catwalk.

"I'm _working on it._" I growled back.

"Fight or flight?" Renee asked, an undertone of fear in her voice. They were still far enough away to not be able to see our faces, but I could tell she was uncomfortable without a mask.

"Flight, as soon as we get Kid Idiot." Robin replied, and I felt a pair of small but strong arms wrap around my waist. Glancing back, Robin grinned at me and pulled.

"Lay off the burritos, Kid." I told the speedster as his feet his solid ground – or, in this case, steel hanging from the ceiling via cables.

"Sorry." He said quietly, and I couldn't help but melt a little when his emerald eyes met mine. _Stop it, Artemis! You're mad at him!_

"Uh, guys, we gotta go." Robin said quietly. I looked over Robin's head, and sure enough, villains were at the top of the ladder at the other end of the long catwalk, Mr. Freeze leading the pack.

"I can't port you all at once, combined you're too heavy." Said Renee, a note of frustration in her otherwise surprisingly calm voice. _She _did_ just face off against Clockwork, _alone._ This probably doesn't compare now._

"Take Artemis and go." Rob stated briskly, taking a grappling hook from his utility belt and shooting it towards the frame of the pane of glass I had taken out. I felt Renee grab my hand, and we were back on the roof, looking down at Kid Flash and Robin zipping up the line towards us. Wally reached out a gloved hand and I took it, hauling him up just in time for a blast of ice to hit the glass right where he had been.

"That was close." Wally said, and before I could protest, he picked me up bridal-style and started running across rooftops.

"Where are we going?" I asked, my hair whipping across my face in the wind. Wally risked a glance down at me.

"To the bikes. Gotta get outta here fast." He responded, his words nearly lost from the speed we were going.

"The others-" I began, but he cut me off.

"Will be fine. Renee can teleport, remember? We're the easier ones to catch. Now just hold on, Arty." He said before speeding up. _Didn't think he could go any faster._ I quickly wrapped my arms around his neck, my face buried in the toned muscles of his chest- _Don't think like that Artemis! You're mad at him!_ I reminded myself, but I couldn't help but feel my anger get whisked away with the wind as the world blurred past us. We came to a sudden stop in front of a motorcycle, and if Wally hadn't been holding me, I would've fallen. Wally put me down (surprisingly gently) and climbed onto the motorcycle.

"Get on." He said, patting the seat behind him.

"But-but there's only one? What about Robin and Renee?" Wally was already shaking his head impatiently before I finished.

"They were parked together. They've already been here and left. Now come _on!_" I could hear angry shouting in the distance. I begrudgingly swung my leg over the bike and wrapped my arms around Wally's waist. He hit the gas and we sped off.

"I'm still angry with you, you know. You could've gotten all of us killed. You almost got _yourself_ killed." I said into his ear. I saw his profile smirk.

"I know, Arty. I know," He replied, "I'm sorry." _Wasn't expecting an apology out of him so easy. Hmm…_

"Okay." I said, deciding not to dwell on it. Dwelling would ruin the satisfaction of getting Wally to apologize.

"I love you." The words were caught by the wind, so I almost didn't hear them above my own thoughts. I rested my chin on Wally's shoulder, planting a quick kiss on the hinge for his jawbone.

"I love you too." I responded, and I saw his smirk change into a grin.

_You better believe it, Wally, 'cause it's true. _I thought as we drove towards Mount Justice.

* * *

><p>* <em><strong>= I just picked two random Gotham villains. My apologies if it doesn't make much sense.<br>**_**_**= Thank you knightmare1986 for suggesting this tidbit.**_

_**So, yay! More Spitfire! Hope my Artemis POV wasn't painful or anything. Reviews are nice. I like feedback, good and constructive criticism. Until next time, lovely readers!**_

_**Word Counts:  
>This Chapter: 3,322<br>Total: 36,405**_

_**Happy Writings,  
>Vid.<strong>_


	24. Chapter 24

_**A/N: **_

_**Hey guys! So, so, SO sorry I've been kinda MIA. This month is CRAZY hectic for me, I just finished a HUGE project for creative writing he gave us not even a week to do (finished easily, but still totally not fair), a bunch of honor band (YAY!) stuff going on, and an honor orchestra, too, so I've been, well…overpowered by my favorite hobby (besides writing, of course.) But our All-County guest conductor told us to rest our chops tonight for the concert tomorrow, so I'm doing just that…by updating for you all!**_

_**On an IMPORTANT serious note, this is (probably) going to be the last official chapter of this fic. There will (possibly) be an epilogue, to tie up any loose ends I can't hit with chapter 24. BUT, I will be putting up a (anonymous) poll for you guys to vote on whether or not I should do a sequel to Nightshadow, or if I should do just some one-shot-like compilation to continue the story of Renee and Rob (and the others too, I suppose. Lol.), or if I should just leave it be where it is. …I don't even know how many options I can put (technology hates me). **_

_**So, please go vote, you're opinion really matters to me, and I'm really on the fence with what I should do here, so, yeah. Without further ado, I'm bringing it back to the POV where it all began!**_

* * *

><p><span>Nightshadow: Chapter 24:<span>  
>~Robin's POV~<p>

I was lounging in the living room when I heard a _**Pop!**_ and Renee was suddenly sitting next to me.

"What are we going to do?" She asked, completely ignoring my surprise. I gave her a questioning look, tilting my head to the side for effect, and she sighed.

"About _school_, moron! How are we going to deal with that?" I blinked slowly. I honestly hadn't really thought about it. Normally, I wouldn't think it as a problem, but with Artemis going to our school, too, we had to tread carefully.

"Shit uh…I dunno. I mean, we can still talk and stuff, but I don't think we could be all couple-y. Cause of Artemis." Renee nodded vigorously at this, strands of her chocolate hair slipping from their customary locations behind her ears. I reached out and tucked them back gingerly, which made her blush.

"Yeah, yeah. I agree. I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page." She said, standing up to leave. I immediately stood up as well.

"Going so soon?" I inquired, trying to mask the twinge of hurt I felt in my heart – it happened every time she would leave me. A bit bothersome, but Wally thought it was a good thing, so I couldn't complain.

"Wally wants me to help him out with some training. Well, really it's research. He wants to see how long it takes me to reappear." She chuckled at this, then pressed her soft lips against mine. I sensed that she was beginning to pull back away and disappear (literally), so I encircled her waist with my arms and pulled her closer to me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me again, this time with more passion and meaning than a simple good-bye kiss.

"I love you." She murmured as we parted for air. I pressed my forehead against hers and closed my eyes, trying to drink this moment in, to imprint every part of it into my memory.

"I love you too." I said without hesitation. I cracked one eye open to catch her smiling at me. With my head tilted down slightly and hers up, she had, as she had put it, the 'perfect vantage point around your shades so I can see those gorgeous eyes of yours'. Renee trailed one still-perfectly-manicured finger (from her shortened day at the spa the other day) down my jaw line before stepping away.

"See you at school, although I won't know you until you introduce yourself." She teased, and with that curl of black smoke that had a love-hate relationship with me, she was gone.

_Oh, we'll see about that._

* * *

><p>The next morning, I texted her to come outside of her building:<p>

Tuesday, January 3rd. 6:45 AM:

_Come outside your building  
>-Rob<em>

We had decided that I would sign any texts with "Rob", in case someone on the team got a hold of her phone.

Tuesday, January 3rd. 6:46 AM:

_**Why?  
>(:<strong>_

She never signed any of her texts with anything but that. Never failed to make me smile. Sappy, I know. But true.

Tuesday, January 3rd. 6:48 AM:

_Just do it.  
>-Rob<em>

Tuesday, January 3rd. 6:49 AM:

_**Fine.  
>(:<strong>_

Tuesday, January 3rd. 6:50 AM:

_**R, what the hell is this car doing here?  
>(:<strong>_

Tuesday, January 3rd. 6:51 AM:

_Open the door.  
>-Rob<em>

She did, and looked in cautiously to see none other than yours truly.

"Ohmygod! Dick, you had me worried! I thought I was going to jail or something!" Renee exclaimed as Alfred closed the car door for her.

"Why would you think that?" I asked as I entwined her fingers with mine. I was determined to savor the feeling then, since I couldn't do it at school. Stupid Artemis. Hmph.

"Too much television, I suppose." She shrugged, and I laughed.

All too soon, the drive to school was over and we had to pretend to be just friends. We had the perfect cover that was flawless: Bruce Wayne had known Mr. Knight and his family, so naturally, since Renee Knight was back in town, Bruce and Dick Grayson reconnected with her.

"Want me to walk you to the main office?" I offered, afraid some of the more cruel kids would think of her as a charity case. Everyone had known of Mr. Anthony Knight, rich businessman, and his son and heir to the company, Logan. But not many people ever remembered Renee. Even when her father and Logan were alive.

"Can you handle that long of a walk without doing something boyfriend-y?" She countered, and I put on a fake pout.

"You doubt my acting abilities?"

"Never in a million years. C'mon, Mr. Overdramatic." Shadow gave me a quick peck on the cheek before opening the car door and gracefully sliding out.

"I am not overdramatic!" I argued, and we continued the banter all the way to the front office. It turned out that Renee and I 'coincidentally' had almost all of our classes together. As I showed her to homeroom, I marveled in how easy it was for one of us to still show the other how much we cared without holding hands or kissing or saying 'I love you'. It was all in the small mannerisms that only a trained observant eye could detect, and that would just say that we were close. But I knew Renee so well that I could deduce exactly how she felt and what she was thinking by something as simple as a twitch of a finger or a nod of the head. Things were turning out okay.

_More than okay._ I thought as my blue eyes connected with her green ones.

And as I introduced her to her homeroom teacher, I couldn't stop thinking about how lucky I was.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Ta-da! Sorry it's so short, but I felt that it didn't need to get drawn out any longer.<strong>_

_**So, I may/may not do an epilogue, but I will DEFINITLY update just to inform you of what the poll turns out as and when the new story/compilation is up (if that is the decision you all make). But that won't be for a while unless you guys VOTE! I'll probably give a week or so before counting them up and letting you all know. **_

_**Also, for those of you who read my X-Men: Evolution story, "Powers of Animation", never fear! I will update on Sunday, I promise! Maybe sooner, depends on how long it takes me to write the chapter.**_

_**Word Counts:  
>This Chapter: 969<br>Total: 37,374**_

_**Happy Writings,  
>Vid.<strong>_


	25. Chapter 25

_**A/N: **_

_**I'm baaaackkkk! Oh my god I am SO sorry for going all MIA…again! I feel **_**terrible**_**! But, here I am with an epilogue for you all.**_

_**On a more serious note, EVERYONE GO VOTE IN THE POLL! It's currently tied up right now, and I don't know what to do, so until there's a clear winner, there will be no more Nightshadow-relations after I post this chapter! And I **_**really**_** want to write more Nightshadow stuff for you wonderful people, but I won't be able to if I don't know what format I'm putting it in! And I'm really sorry I'm playing the guilt card like this, but I never use the guilt card, like, ever, so I deemed it necessary. **_

_**So **__**vote**__**!**_

_**WARNING**__**: This epilogue thingy has some fluff…it also has a really awkward situation that has actually happened to a good friend of mine…in fact, it happened only three months ago. And she's a lot taller than Renee and older, too. So keep in mind that it's dark, Renee is short, and people can be **_**really**_** dumb. Also, please note that I made KF and Arty the same age to make things easier on me. I'm not sure if it's the correct age, but I feel it's close enough. **_

* * *

><p><span>Nightshadow: Chapter 25:<span>  
>(AKA Epilogue)<br>~Renee's POV~

I was practically bouncing with excitement as the sleek black car pulled up to the awning of the fancy restaurant. The limo driver opened the door and Rob slid out before turning back to help me. On the other side of the car, I could hear Wally and Artemis arguing with each other on how the four of us were going to sit together.

"They never stop, do they?" I asked to no one in particular, but Robin answered me anyway, dark shades reflecting the fairy lights around the door.

"Nope." We both laughed at this, and before I had a chance to respond, the four of us were being whisked inside by a pretentious-looking host.

"Name?" He asked in a bored drawl.

"Knight. Party of four." I responded quietly, flashing him the 'professional smile' that my dad had taught me when I was little.

As the pompous host showed us to a dark corner (where I had requested), I couldn't help but think of how we had gotten there.

Two weeks had gone by since my first day at Gotham Academy. There hadn't been a hitch in our keep-Dick's-identity-a-secret plan, yet. All the missions we were sent on were quick and easy, a huge relief to everyone involved. Roy was spending more and more time with the Team, and so had Zatanna. She and I had called an unspoken somewhat-truce that got violated at least once a day by her excessive flirting. Rob blatantly told her off for it earlier that day, which gave me warm fuzzies. Ha.

And now, here Wally, Artemis, Dick and I were, sitting in the back of a _really_ fancy restaurant, having proper dates. I had even gotten Artemis to keep her hair down and wear a dress for the occasion, which was _really_ paying off. Her red-haired boyfriend couldn't stop looking at her.

_So sweet_. I thought happily as I silently watched the two of them and listened to the conversations around me. Rob, Artemis, and Wally were talking about how nice this place was and how Wally, of all people, found it. The guy diagonal to our table was checking out his waitress, no surprise there, and the couple seated nearest to us was marveling on how young I was.

That made me frown a bit.

I mean, it made sense for me to be singled out. Artemis looked like the freakin' goddess of her namesake, Wally had enlisted the help of his Aunt to make sure he looked the part, and between Dick Grayson's wardrobe and Robin's dark glasses, my boyfriend looked a _lot_ older than he was. I looked pretty grown-up, too: I had on a pretty violet dress that my little bird said complimented my eyes perfectly, and my chocolate hair was actually holding a shape for once.

But that didn't stop the couple from talking…and staring.

…I ignored them. What else was I supposed to do?

Sensing my distress, Dick squeezed my hand gently. I squeezed back, and joined in on their conversation, which had turned to a recount from various second-hand sources on how M'gann and Conner's date had gone two days before.

"I'm telling you, Baywatch, Megan said they had a great time!" Artemis was saying.

"And I'm telling _you_ that I don't believe that! Something _had_ to have happened. With those two, something always does." Wally argued right back, but I could tell his heart wasn't in it. Neither was Artemis', for that matter. I didn't understand why they kept up with the arguing, even though it had reduced to banter – mostly flirtatious.

"Guys, are we really discussing other people's dates while we're on some ourselves?" I asked as innocent as I could, but I couldn't stop the smile from creeping onto my face. Soon enough, everyone else was smiling too.

_At least you know how to keep the peace._ My subconscious piped up, confusing me.

_What's that supposed to mean? _ I mused, but I never got a chance to analyze for a response, because the guy from Gossip Couple had just tapped me on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, little girl, but isn't that against the law?" He asked, a kindly expression on his face. I looked to where he was pointing and saw my fingers entwined with Rob's, sitting on the table. The Boy Wonder stiffened. Wally's mouth dropped open, emerald eyes wide. And Artemis – she just looked pissed. _Royally_ pissed.

"Sir, if you would kindly leave my boyfriend and I alone so we can continue our dinner with our friends in peace." I spoke as calmly and politically correct as I could, locking my gaze with his. His kind face melted off, replaced instead with one of concern and pity.

"But your boyfriend – he's so much older than you." Lady Couple had come to join her fiancé in their interrogation.

"No, he isn't." I said, anger bubbling up inside me. _Why did these stupid people have to come over here? Couldn't they just mind their own business?_

"Sir, Madam, We're thirteen. There's nothing illegal about it." Dick said, drawing himself to full height smoothly. His voice was like ice, even someone with no brain cells would've been able to tell he was pissed off. Part of me was angry for not being able to handle it myself, for him stepping in, but I was mostly just relieved that I didn't have to deal with the increasingly awkward situation.

"And we're fifteen." KF piped up from across the table. Gossip Couple's eyes went wide.

"Oh, I, uh-" Dude Couple stammered.

"Miss Knight, are these patrons bothering you?" A smooth baritone voice cut him off, and I whipped around in my seat to face the direction of the voice.

"Leonardo, how nice to see you again! And they were just going." I replied as Leonardo took my free hand and lightly kissed my knuckles. Over his shoulder, I saw Gossip Couple being pushed out the door by the haughty host.

"The pleasure is all mine, my dear. What can I serve you and your friends? It's on the house, for your troubles." He requested in his thick, unplaceable accent as Dick finally sat down and relaxed.

"Um, and _how_ exactly do you two know each other?" Artemis cut in, one eyebrow raised in question.

"Leonardo here is an old friend of my father's. They met in college. Although, I must admit, I had no idea he was working here." I explained to my friends, who showed various degrees of understanding.

"Ah, yes, Mr. Knight was a lovely man, may he rest in peace. And you, Renee, you've grown so much! Ah, but I mustn't reminisce. A friend of Knight's daughter is a friend of Leonardo's! What can I get for you kids?" We all gave Leonardo our orders, and the portly man whisked himself off to the kitchens to prepare them for us.

After our meal, Leonardo declared it on the house and refused to let any of us pay. As we left the restaurant we decided to go our separate ways, Wally and Artemis taking car to the building next to the alley one of the Zeta-tube locations is at; whereas Dick and I opted to walk around the nicer part of Gotham for a while. Batman wasn't expecting Dick home for a while, and since my home was Mt. Justice, I didn't have to worry about time restraints.

"You handled that nicely." Dick said after we had walked a few blocks, hand in hand. His hand had rarely let go of mine after the awkward Gossip Couple incident. I supposed that was the good thing about me being left-handed: we could hold hands and eat simultaneously.

"Yeah, well, it's not the first time I've been judged due to height. Although I must admit, _that_ particular situation was a first for me." I chuckled at the mental image of their mortified faces.

"They were completely out of line. Dick Grayson would've had their asses handed to them." I turned my head sharply to look at him. His dark glasses masked his eyes, but I could still tell that he was angry with himself for letting things get that far.

"But Dick Grayson could not have made an appearance with KF and Artemis there. And that's okay. There was no harm done, Dick. Don't beat yourself up about it." I reassured him, squeezing his hand as I spoke.

"They had no right to talk to you like that." The Boy Wonder looked straight ahead, and his barely contained rage was evident in his voice.

"Hey-" I said softly, pulling him to the left so we were in the dimly lit mouth of an alleyway. "-Will you stop blaming yourself? And before you say anything, I know that's what you're thinking. Don't deny it." I stared up into his sunglasses, imagining in my mind's eye what the blue eyes behind them looked like at that particular moment.

Before I knew what was happening, one of Rob's hands was on the small of my back and the other at the base of my skull and his soft lips were on mine. I reacted instantly, wrapping my arms around him and letting him. When I had to pull away for air he just made a line of light kisses across my collar bone, making me shiver, before tilting my head and bringing his mouth back to mine.

Not long enough later he broke away and pressed our foreheads together so that I could see his eyes.

_Will I ever get over how freakin' stunning those eyes are?_ I heard a small voice ask in the back of my mind, but I pushed the thought out. I didn't care if I ever got over it. Instead I concentrated on the little white puffs of smoke that was our breaths drifting into the cold night.

"I needed to hear that." Dick finally said, and I laughed.

"Yeah, you did."

"I love you, you know that, right?"

"Yes. I know. But don't stop saying it just because you know I know."

"I won't."

"I love you too, Dick." He kissed me again, lightly, but it was just as electrifying as any of the other countless kisses we had shared. Then he whisked me into a black car that I didn't know had pulled up and Alfred asked us where we wanted to go and the ebony-haired boy I loved answered something I didn't hear because I was too busy thinking how he loved me, how he was mine, all mine, my Robin, my Dick, my Boy Wonder.

_My little bird._

I fell asleep to that thought with his arms around me and my head on his shoulder as Alfred drove us off into the Night.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Aww, I get all smiley when I read that…I have fulfilled my need for my daily fluff. Because everyone needs at least some fluff once a week to make themselves feel better. I, personally, like more than that. ha. <strong>_

_**So, like I said before, please vote, and um…the next part will be thank yous. **_

_**Thank you everyone (those who make it known and those who lurk) for sticking with me through all this, if you read all my obnoxiously long author's notes you're awesomesauce, too. **_

_**Thanks to the wicked people who have reviewed:**_

_**Irenerb  
>Liv<br>celestialstarynight  
>FloppyWandedDementorBoggerer <br>Jade Riddle 19  
>Ravenclaw Slytherin<br>stelligoesRAWR  
>HunterofArtemis098<br>sunnydayz56  
>BekCholie<br>The-Strongest-Will-Survive  
>InvisibleNinja1234<br>KatelySmiling**_

_**As well as the long list of those who favorited Nightshadow or put it on Story Alert.**_

_**And a very, **_**very**_** special thanks to knightmare1986 for giving me constant feedback from beginning to end as well as brightening my day with reviews and inspiring some of my favorite chapters.  
><strong>_

_**Word Counts:  
>This Chapter: 1,801<br>Total: 39,175**_

_**Stay Awesome and Happy Writings Until We Meet Again,  
>Vid.<strong>_


	26. An Announcement: Poll Results!

_**Hey guys!**_

_**So, I'm here to inform you of the results of the poll! Yayyyyyyyy! :D**_

_**And the verdict is….**_

_**A SEQUEL!**_

_**Woohoo! Sequel won by like, 90%. I was happy. Cause that's what I was secretly hoping for.**_

_**So, just to inform you all, the sequel will be called "Breaking Light", the first chapter was a challenge for me (written in Kaldur's POV), and it should be up later today. **_

_**Also, if you're wondering, "Vid, why did you post at 9 AM?" It's because I discovered that this site isn't blocked by the school computers, so I'm posting this instead of writing a children's book for creative writing. Because my teacher is boring. And I already finished. **_

_**So, anyway, that should be up later today, so watch out for it! **_

_**Stay Awesome and Happy Writings,**_

_**Vid. **_


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